Message Sent
by Loo-McAllister
Summary: It was a joke. Text her on their sister's phone. Then they got the text 'Step monster drank, beat, passed out... again.' Now Lucas Scott just wants to save the girl he tried to ignore. Except when you try you get her all famous line. You tell.. i deny
1. Prologue

**hi im Loo. This is my first story. I know it is short, but it is just a prologue. I hope you like it and review.**

**Disclaimer: I dont own anything.**

**Prologue**

"We seriously gonna sit here while your sister practices her softball? How hard is it to hit a ball as big as her head?" Ian Kellerman questioned the Scott brothers as they sat in the parking lot with a view of the softball stadium.

"Mom said we need to wait for her, so we're going to wait for her. At least it is entertaining" Nathan told him from the passenger seat resting his feet on the dashboard.

"Oh yes, the perfect family crap you guys are all into. I forgot. At least your sister has a badass car" He groaned spinning in his seat, laying his legs half out of the car and leaning his head on the other side of the Comet placing his baseball cap over his face.

Ten minutes passed. Lucas and Nathan watched as their sister and her friends practiced the game they loved and Ian snored in the backseat. Soon they heard the quick noise of a classic Beatles song ring out making Ian jump in the backseat.

_Then you begin to make it better__  
><em>_Better, better, better, better, better, oh!_

"Whose phone is that?"

"Peyton's" Lucas replied and neither he nor Nathan moved for the phone and Ian snatched it up to check it turning the ringer off in the process.

"Kellerman… don't mess with our sister's stuff" Nathan warned and Kellerman waved him off.

"Hey Lennon…" Ian read off the touch screen with a confused question. "Who's Paul and why is he calling your sister Lennon?"

"Dumbass. It's Brooke. She calls Peyton Lennon. As in John Lennon." Lucas explained and Ian kept the confused look etched across his face.

"As in The Beatles" Nathan tried to make him understand and a look of recognition passed his face.

"Oh the okay British band with the dead dude. Who's Brooke?"

"Brooke Davis. The girl always at our house, brunette, loud, obnoxious, annoying, sarcastic, girl who would kill you if she heard that you called The Beatles okay" Lucas listed off before Ian cut in.

"Oh Jake's smoking hot little sister. I'm texting her back"

"Hell no" Nathan told him reaching for the phone and Ian pulled back.

"Come on. This is Brooke Davis. You know how much dirt we could get on her"

"You didn't even know who she was till we described her" Lucas argued.

"Too late. I replied" Ian smirked and Nathan grabbed the phone to see what he had sent.

"'_Just got out of practice. What's up?'_ What the hell man?" Nathan growled.

"What's the big deal?" Ian asked not getting the big deal grabbing the phone from Nathan once again. It's just a text. Not like the girl will ever know.

"Cause it's Brooke Davis." Was all Lucas said.

"Oh look, she sent back. _'Hating life,' _oh god she's one of those everyone is out to get me girls. Let's see why"

"Kellerman… seriously. You are gonna get destroyed by the whole softball team if anyone finds out" Lucas snatched the phone one final time sliding it in his pocket not letting this go any farther.

"You Scott's have no sense of humor" Ian laid back down on the backseat of the car and when Lucas knew Ian was done messing with Brooke he pulled out Peyton's phone to see Brooke had sent back.

'_Step monster drank, beat, passed out... again._' Lucas silently read and stared at the screen long enough to make Nathan want to know what it said. He leaned over in his seat quietly checking to make sure Ian didn't notice and gulped when he read what it said.

"Erase it" Nathan whispered and Lucas nodded hitting the delete button.

"We can't just not send back" Lucas told him.

"Lucas… you can't. This is something she obviously wanted to talk Peyt about not Peyton's brothers."

"We can't make her think Peyton won't even send back. This is serious" Lucas angrily whispered.

"Maybe she isn't talking about what we think she's talking about"

"I can't take that chance"

"It isn't your chance to take" Nathan snapped.

"She send back?" Ian suddenly said.

"No" Lucas and Nathan said together.

"I can't" Lucas shook his head texting her back.

'_You have to tell Jake' _

"Oh, look at the time. As fun as this has been, I see a pretty girl slipping through my hands" Ian smirked making Lucas and Nathan laugh while he hopped out of the car and made his way to the petite blonde.

"Just be careful Luke. If she is talking about being abused you gotta be ready for that. Cause that isn't a joke" Nathan gave up on trying to convince his brother of not going through with it but there was no point.

'_You know I can't do that'_

Lucas' anger spiked not understanding how she could not tell someone. _'Why not?'_

Quickly he received a new text. _'It's his mom… I tell Jake. Fiona takes Jake. I lose Jake… You lose Jake' _

Lucas leaned his head on the steering wheel wishing Ian never text Brooke Davis. Bad things come out of talking to Brooke Davis. They always had.

**I hope you liked it! Review!**


	2. Dirty Little Secret

**Thank you all for the feedback. I was not expecting so many story alerts! Ahh… I was so excited. Well here is chapter one.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my awesome computer my big sister got me for birthday!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1- Dirty Little Secret<strong>

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><p><em>I'll keep you my dirty little secret<br>Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret__  
>-All American Rejects<em>

Brooke lay in her bed waiting for the household to leave. She'd get up then. At least she would have some dignity. She couldn't let Jake know. That was the last thing she could do so she laid there just like she did every morning wishing she was at the softball field with her best friends.

"Brooke! I'm out" Jake called from the front door and Brooke let out a sigh of relief because Jake was last to leave and now she could take a shower, put on her makeup and get the hell out of the this place. She slowly pulled herself out of her bed wincing in pain that radiated through her body. Fiona had beaten her back pretty badly with a belt last night and the welts and cuts would probably scar. One more reason to not wear bathing suits or change in front of anyone.

She walked down the hallway and turned on the shower dreading the fact of the water hitting her back. She kept the water at only a cool temperature and quickly cleaned her body. After a quick five minute shower she jumped out to inspect the damage that had been done. She looked over her shoulder at her back and cringed at the sight. Bruises had already formed around the cuts and the welts swelled. Cleaning the wounds was going to hurt like hell. She wouldn't be able to reach most of them so she would have to call Peyton and the rest of the gang to help her.

She turned to look at her face thankful Fiona never hit her face. She only messed with every other inch of her body. She pulled on one of old Jake's old shirts and her black loose sweat pants. She picked up her phone dialing her friend's number.

"_Hello?"_

"Oh um hey Lucas… where's Peyton?" She asked confused why Lucas would answer Peyton's phone.

"_Walking towards me."_ He said handing the phone over to Peyton.

"_Brooke?"_

"I need you guys" Brooke told her vaguely knowing she would understand.

"_Where?"_

"My whole back" Brooke responded with no emotion.

"_Okay… we're on our way"_ Peyton sighed and Brooke hung up the phone standing in the middle of her bathroom not wanting to sit down. It only caused more pain.

"Brooke" Quinn called through the large house as four more girls followed behind her.

"Hey" Brooke said walking passed them heading towards the kitchen. They all followed her to see the medical kit already sitting on the counter. Quinn's twin sister, Haley walked over to where Brooke stood and gave her a loose hug not wanting to hurt but felt Brooke tense anyway.

"What can we do?" Rachel asked.

"Someone can clean this" Brooke slowly pulled her shirt over her head and watched as her five friends cringe.

"Brooke… we can't let this keep happening. She is going to kill you" Alex snapped at her friend.

"No she won't. Too much trouble would come with that" Brooke replied shaking her head.

"Please let us tell someone" Peyton begged and Brooke once again shook her head.

"I just need someone to clean it" Brooke said with a blank face.

"I'll do it. You guys go get her a bag. Rachel hold her hand. This is going to hurt" Alex instructed and they all followed.

Brooke sat slowly onto a stool and Rachel pulled one up in front of her holding her hand tightly. "You going to manage this year?"

"No" Brooke said trying to not think about the pain of the cleaning process. To be honest… it didn't come close to the pain of last night.

"Oh, we're gonna miss you" Rachel said trying to distract her.

"Yeah" Brooke closed her eyes when the cold pain pressed into her back.

"Brooke… we love you. You know that right?" Alex asked.

"Yeah" was all Brooke said and Rachel glanced at Alex and their eyes said the same thing.

The girl in front of them wasn't their best friend anymore. The girl that always smiled and lifted everyone's spirits. The one that found the bright side of everything. The girl they went to advice for and was the best softball player they knew. They realized Fiona had finally done what she had always wanted. She broke Brooke Davis.

"You're staying at my house tonight" Peyton told Brooke once they had made it back to the kitchen.

"Okay"

They sat around Brooke talking to her and trying to get her to crack a smile while Alex took equal time on each cut. After a gruesome hour Alex started to pack up the medical kit and Brooke stood up and exited the room without a word.

"We can't let this keep going" Alex said not wanting to clean another one of Brooke's cuts again. It made her sick to her stomach the thought of someone beating her best friends and her not being able to day anything.

"I don't know what to do. It gets worse every time" Peyton agreed.

"But if we tell someone, Brooke would never forgive us; Fiona will take Jake away from Brooke. She will officially lose her whole family" Quinn sighed.

"She is going to kill her" Rachel snapped.

"It's a lose/lose situation" Haley said sadly.

"Guys, just let it go. You guys tell someone… I deny it." They all turned to see Brooke as always covering every inch of her body.

"Brooke-"

"Let it go" Brooke snapped showing the first sign of any emotion making her ways towards the door.

"I just cleaned her mangled back. How can I let it go?" Alex mumbled as they all followed her out the door.

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><p>"You think they all know?" Nathan asked Lucas as they watched TV.<p>

"I guess. They all went over there." Lucas shrugged. "How long do you think it has been going on?"

"I really don't want to know."

They heard the front door open and heard the noise of girls filter through the house. "Shit… she's here"

Nathan and Lucas made their way towards the sound to see the six girls standing in the doorway. Haley made her way towards Nathan to give him a quick kiss before heading towards the basement and one by one all the girls filtered out of the room and only Brooke remained pulling on the back of her long sleeve shirt. The brothers awkwardly stood there not knowing what to say.

"Hey Brookie" Nathan said first giving her a small hug just like he normally would but this time he noticed the flinch Brooke made.

"Hi Natey" Brooke said before giving a small wave to Lucas.

"Hi Lucas" She said with a soft voice. It was then Lucas noticed she didn't smile like she used to and wasn't her loud self like he had described her to Ian.

"Hey" he said shoving his hands into his pockets.

"I'm gonna put my stuff upstairs" She told them slowly making her way up the stairs and Lucas' eyes followed her the whole way.

"This is going to be harder than we thought, isn't it?" Nathan questioned.

"Yeah" Lucas sighed staring at the empty stair case. "A lot harder"

"Come one man. Let's call the guys" Nathan requested and Lucas nodded following him.

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><p>"Where's my baby sister?" Jake asked the group as they sat in the basement and seven bodies froze.<p>

"She went upstairs right before you got here to take a nap. Said she wasn't feeling well" Rachel lied flawlessly.

"I'm gonna go check on her" he told them untangling himself from Peyton and making his way up to the main floor and then taking another flight of stairs before stopping in front of the guest room.

"Sis" Jake whispered into the room seeing Brooke crack her eyes open.

"Hey big brother." She tried to smile but it cracked and she was frowning again.

"What's wrong?" He asked sitting on the bed feeling her head.

"Just tired. I'm staying here tonight" she informed him and he nodded.

"Okay. I'll let you rest. I love you Brooke." He told her kissing her forehead and she nodded.

"Yeah" She mumbled closing her eyes and he sighed.

"Damn it" He whispered leaving the room and his broken sister.

Brooke laid there trying to make herself cry or be angry but at this point she couldn't. She was too far gone at this point. Now she was numb, emotionally she felt nothing. She was just tired. She was tired of everything. She accepted a long time ago this would be her life. She didn't expect leaving when she graduated or going to college. She knew she would stay here and be Fiona's puppet. Just like Fiona had always wanted.

She needed to try at least to fake her old upbeat ways or people would start to notice something was wrong. They would realize she wasn't happy and cheerful and she didn't want the questions that would follow that. Those questions have answers and those answers would lead back to Jake. Jake couldn't know. She realized that a long time ago.

She pulled herself slowly out of the bed just as she had done earlier that morning and stared at the mirror that stood in front of her. She smiled at herself and hated how fake she looked but didn't stop. She felt like her reflection was mocking her. Laughing at her for ever letting everything get this bad. Brooke kept smiling agreeing with her reflection. She deserved to be mocked. She tried to laugh a small laugh to see what it sounded like and it just sounded foreign. She laughed again softly until it sounded more natural.

She tried to think of happy things. She thought of her mom, she thought of softball, she thought of her dad and it worked for a few minutes… until she realized she had lost all those things. She realized she had lost. Fiona won. Fiona got what she wanted. She had everyone under her control.

"I'm happy" Brooke said to the mirror with a smile. "I'm happy. I'm happy, I'm happy, I'm happy, I'm happy"

"I'm a little scared at how happy you are" Brooke jumped at the noise to see Clay leaning against the doorway.

"Hey buddy" Brooke said as upbeat as she could giving him a quick hug. "How are you and Quinn?"

"Been broken up for a few weeks now, Brooke" Clay said and Brooke's smile faltered.

"I'm sorry. It must have slipped my mind. You have a plan to get her back?"

"I love her. I know that. You know that. The whole world knows that… except her. When she accepts that I'm not going anywhere she'll come back to me." He shrugged confidently.

"I hope it works out for you" Brooke once again tried a smile that Clay saw right through.

"You okay, Cookie?" He asked her concerned.

"Perfect. Let's go downstairs" She grabbed his hand pulling him in the direction their friends sat.

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><p>"Babe" Jake stopped Peyton from taking another step towards his car and she turned back to look at him.<p>

"Yeah" She smiled up at the boy that she had loved for so long.

She never understood why she got him. She still remembered when Brooke introduced her years ago. She remembered when he first kissed her, first told her he loved her. He was perfect for her. He fit perfectly into her puzzle of life. He always knew what to say and always knew when something was wrong. She planned on being with him forever. That is if he wanted her that long.

"Is there anything going on with Brooke?" He questioned and Peyton started to nervously play with her long blond hair.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, is there… was there a guy? Did I do something? Is she mad at me? I… I don't know. She just doesn't talk to me anymore and I just was wondering if there was something going on." He rambled and Peyton scratched the back of her neck hating the fact she was about to lie to him. It was the first time he had ever straight forwardly asked if Brooke was okay and Peyton wasn't prepared.

"Jake… she's fine. We're seventeen… going on eighteen. We're about to be seniors. Sometimes we don't tell big brother everything. I mean Luke and Nate don't know what's going on with me. They'd kill id they did know. She's fine." Peyton lied awfully. She just rambled hoping he would drop the subject.

"I guess you're right. I just miss her and I don't know what to do" He shrugged sadly and Peyton embraced him.

"I love you, Jake. Don't worry. She'll be fine. I'll talk to her"

She intended to talk to her best friend because she refused to ever lie to the boy that stood in front of her ever again. The look on his face made him seem so lost making her love him a little more and that was one thing she refused to do for Brooke

**Review pretty please!**


	3. You Lie

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. It makes me sad. **

**I am so happy on the feedback… yay.**

**Here is chapter two!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2- You Lie<strong>

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><p><em>It just comes way too natural to you<em>_  
><em>_The way you lie__  
>-The Band Perry<em>

'_Hey what's up?' _Lucas text once he had dropped Peyton off and he sat at the River Court and his friends played basketball.

"You are not texting Brooke" Nathan groaned walking over with his basketball and Lucas shook his head.

"I was texting mom. Chill dude. I'm not texting her" Lucas lied.

It had been two days since the first text was sent. Two days since Kellerman opened a can of shit on the Scott brothers. They both tried to forget what they had learned. Nathan had an easier time with that because he knew that if it was severe to the point Brooke feared her life then Brooke would tell someone. Lucas on the other hand could let the feeling go that he knew what was happening and he couldn't know that and not check up on her.

"I thought you hated her" Nathan said not believing Lucas was texting their mom.

"I don't know enough about the girl to hate her. I mean she has been my best sisters friend for more than three quarters of my life and all I know about her is she used to be a badass softball player"

Saying as he doesn't know Brooke, he couldn't just text her _'hey Brooke! It's me, Lucas. Yeah part of the Scott triplets. So my friend text you and now we know about you secret so I was wondering how you were?' _Yeah he couldn't say that. Instead, he pretended be Peyton just to make sure she was okay. Of course Brooke will probably wonder at some point why Peyton didn't remember the conversation they had, but Lucas decided he would just deal with that bridge when he came to it.

"Whatever man" Nathan jogged off and Lucas looked down, checking the phone to see she had sent back.

'_I've realized something'_

'_Oh?' _He replied sitting on the bench next to Mouth.

"You not playing?" Mouth asked confused.

"I call next game" Lucas shrugged opening the new message that had popped up on the screen.

'_I'm an amazing cook. I should have my own show or something' _Lucas laughed at the text and noticed Nathan cutting his eyes over at him. "What? Mom can't say funny things?"

Nathan shook his head focusing back on the game and Lucas replied. _'What are you making?'_

"Why are you texting on Peyton's phone?" Mouth questioned.

"Why is everyone so worried who I text?"

"Cause your texting Brooke. Don't say you aren't because I can see the screen. The reason we are worried cause she isn't just Peyton's friend, she's our friend" Mouth explained and Lucas shook his head.

"She thinks I'm Peyton. She thinks I'm her best friend. What could I possibly do to her?" He asked rhetorically turning back to the phone.

'_Philly Cheese Steak'_

'_Sounds good… how r u?' _Lucas text her hoping to get insight on Brooke Davis.

'_Better. Alex did really well on my back' _

It made Lucas sick to his stomach how easy she could say that. He didn't want to think about her back. He didn't want to know the damage done to it. He didn't understand how he didn't notice. She never showed skin, he didn't remember the last time she came over and went to the pool, she didn't laugh, she didn't smile, she would just sit there. Look like she wasn't breaking with each move she made. He wondered how Jake didn't notice, or Mouth, or Skills, or anyone else. He couldn't understand he himself couldn't see it. It was so obvious she wasn't even the same person. It was as… as if someone kidnapped Brooke Davis and put a shell of the girl that used to be there. She was now a robot set on autopilot and he didn't see that changing any time soon.

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><p>'<em>Any pain?' <em>

Brooke rolled her eyes at Peyton's concern and was glad they were texting. Faking emotion through text was easier than in person. _'Only when I touch bad cuts'_

She heard the front door open and tensed when she swiveled in her seat to see Fiona walking in. Brooke stared at her phone hoping she would keep walking, but that rarely happened. It is only late morning, maybe she isn't drunk yet. "Brooke?"

Brooke let out a sigh of relief at the tone Fiona used. This was sober Fiona. The Fiona that hid her hatred for Brooke. "Yes mam?"

"Please tell your brother I'm going out of the country for a few days." She told her grabbing her passport from a drawer.

"Why?" Brooke asked trying to hide the relief that flooded through her.

"Some people don't know how to work"

Brooke nodded tensing when Fiona walked passed her to grab her sunglasses off the counter and placing them on her head. "Bye" Fiona walked out of the big house in her stilettos and for the first time in months she let a real small smile grace her face. At least the bruises would heal this time.

'_I'm sorry'_

Brooke let a big breath before texting back. _'Yeah well… the bruises will heal. Fiona out of country'_

Brooke slid the thin phone into her sweatpants pocket making her way to the backyard seeing the yellow lab run towards her. She sat down and the old dog fell on top of her. "Ten years Bubba, you still think you're a puppy"

The lab sat up and leaned closer so Brooke could lean her head on his. "You always knew how to make me feel better. Come one, let's go inside" She stood up opening the door and let Bubba run up the stair knowing where her room was when her phone vibrated.

'_How long?'_

'_Few days' _she lay on her bed and Bubba lay next to her and she turned on the TV to watch college softball as absently rubbed Bubba's back.

She sat the phone on top of the sheets and saw it light up and saw what the text read. _'Do you ever miss softball?'_

What a weird question to ask, Brooke thought. Oh well, this is Peyton were talking about, she shrugged as she replied.

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><p>'<em>Of course I miss it, but people would notice a girl showing up w bruises up and down her arms'_

'_How do u do it, Brooke?'_ Lucas questioned annoyed. She talked about being beaten as though it was riding a bike. Like she deserves it. As if this is what her life will always be.

'_3 years of practice makes it easier'_

"Jesus Christ…" Lucas growled deleting the texts and shoving the phone into his pocket.

"What?" Nathan asked.

"When Brooke's dad die?" He questioned and Nathan shrugged as they climbed into the car.

"About three years ago… why?"

Lucas gave him a look and Nathan shook his head. "No, she… but… no."

"She quit softball months later"

"I thought…"

"Cause her dad died? No cause she couldn't hide it in a softball uniform"

"Let it go, Luke. You can't help her" Nathan tried to explain but Lucas shook his head tossing the phone in the cup holder.

"Why not? Why can't I help her?"

"Cause obviously she doesn't want to be helped. Let it go. Text her if you want, but let this save Brooke plan you have concocted in your mind go, because if she wanted help she would've told Jake, or told mom or dad or at least let Peyton or Haley or anyone else tell. She doesn't want anyone to help her especially you. Leave it alone" Nathan commanded as they pulled towards the fields to pick Peyton up.

"Fine" Lucas grumbled as they pulled into the parking lot and Peyton started to the car.

"Hey guys" Peyton smiled resting in the backseat and they both replied with a hey, "Could you drop me off at Brooke's. I need to check on her-"

"Her what?" Lucas asked and Peyton shook her head.

"Just her. She wasn't feeling very well last night" Peyton recovered quickly and Lucas grumbled under his breath as he leaned against the window. "Did I do something?"

"No, no one ever does anything" Lucas muttered and Nathan glared over at him.

"Don't worry about him, Peyt. He just needs to accept that he can't do anything about the game today"

"Fuck off Nathan"

"You guys are seriously way too into basketball." Peyton said warily at her brothers as Nathan drove quickly to Brooke's house.

The car wasn't fully stopped before Peyton jumped out of the car trying to get away from the scary tension that filled the car. The rest of the girl were already inside once she stepped in and saw them in the back hanging by the pool. She stepped out into the backyard to see Quinn and Alex in the hot tub, Rachel and Haley walking out from another entrance carrying a variety of drinks. Brooke laid on a lounge with a bathing suit on for the first time in what seemed liked years. It was a tankini, covering the worst of her back.

The bruises on her arms were a slight yellow color and from where Peyton stood she couldn't really see any of the bruises on her legs. All five friends would occasionally cut their eyes over at the brunette waiting for her to break down and cry her eyes out but she never did. She lay there, gripping a towel that sat to the left of her and tanned, hoping the bruises would fade. Peyton sat on the lounge next to her and leaned her elbows on her knees and watched her closest friend carefully.

"Peyton, I'm not going to break. You can stop staring at me. God you are so overprotective, overcompensating for Jake" Brooke told her with closed eyes and Peyton nudged Brooke in the leg.

"Hey. Look at me" Peyton ordered the brunette. The brunette opened her eyes exasperated and dramatically looked at her friend.

"What?"

"I love you. You are my best friend and I wouldn't change one thing about you. I love you for letting me love Jake and I love you for being my best friend. I do not love that I go to sleep praying you're still alive the next day. I don't love that I have to lie to my boyfriend about his own sister." She started with an intense look and Brooke shrugged.

"What are you talking about Peyton?"

"He asked. He said 'is there something wrong with Brooke?' and I had to look him in the eye and say no. He says 'he misses you' I say ill talk to her. I can't lie to him Brooke and if he asks I will not deny it. That I promise you because-"

"It doesn't matter Peyton if you tell because I will deny it" Brooke stood up quickly covering her back knowing Jake would be home soon.

"Whatever Brooke, I'm done fighting with you. You want to stay in this house and kill yourself, fine" Peyton stomped off making sure to slam the down and the other girls turned to look at Brooke.

"Everything good, Brooke?" Haley asked and Brooke nodded putting on her fake smile she perfected.

"Yeah" She slowly made her way to the door focusing on not hunching over. The pain would recede a little when she would angle her back certain ways. "Fucking perfect"

**Review pretty pretty please!**


	4. Shattered

**I'm glad everyone likes it! It makes me smile… and dance but you know not well… I am a tone deaf uncoordinated girl who likes to sing, That gets on a lot of peoples' nerves… **

**Anywho, I digress. On to chapter three!**

**Disclaimer: For obvious reasons I do not own anything. I mean my favorite couple is Jeyton.**

**Oh yeah I wrote the show… sarcasm is a girls best friend.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3- Shattered<strong>

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><p><em>And I've lost who I am<em>_  
><em>_And I can't understand__  
><em>_Why my heart is so broken__  
>-Trading Yesterday<em>

"Hey, Brooke" Jake sat his things by the door kicking off his shoes and sat on a stool in the kitchen while a now covered up Brooke cooked dinner.

"Hey, Fiona left the country for a few days" Brooke did her best to sound happier than she usually did and not flinch at voicing Fiona's name. Her cuts and bruises did give a jolt of pain.

"Oh, okay"

Jake and Fiona were never overly close. When he was younger he just fought her and argued with her and as he got older he just avoided her. He rarely ever came home anymore just stayed at the Scotts or one of his other's friends' house which is why he never heard Brooke's screams.

"Here" Brooke handed him a bowl of pasta and he thanked her as he started to take big bites while she sat a glass of tea down for him.

"You okay Brooke?" Jake asked knowing he wouldn't get a real answer from her.

Brooke looked up from her food with a small smile. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know, you just seem unhappy… and I don't want you to be unhappy. You're my baby sister. Sure were not related and I'm only five months older than you but your still my baby sister and I just want you to be happy" Jake told her and Brooke tried to show a bigger smile.

"I'm fine. I'm just stressed" Brooke lied leaning over to hug him tightly.

"I love you, Brooke. I will always be your brother and I don't want to block me out. Okay, even if we are older. You were my friend before you became my sister. You're still my friend. Just don't cut me out, okay?" He begged and she nodded standing up losing her appetite and going up the stairs.

"Night, Jake" She shut her door, locking it behind her before she pulled off the hot long sleeve shirt she had been wearing and pulled on a tank top. She pulled off the long sweat pants that had stuck to her damp skin and kept on the loose shorts she had underneath them. They were in a heat wave and she was covering every inch of her body.

She fell softly onto her bed not getting under the covers just lying on top of cool grey comforter. She heard her phone vibrate and rolled over to see she had six new messages.

The first one was from Haley. _'Hey Brooke. What's up?'_

Brooke ignored it and went onto the second one from Alex. _'Brooke! Saw trailer to HP7 pt. 2. AMAZING'_

Brooke nodded in agreement, but didn't send back. She did love Harry Potter. She moved onto the third text from Nathan. _'Hey Brookie. Just checking in. Jake said you hadn't been feeling well.'_

Brooke rolled her eyes at Jake's protectiveness and clicked on the text from Rachel. _'Hey Whore. Guess who text me… Kellerman.'_

Brooke looked at the phone confused wondering if she should know why that was a bad thing other than the reason Ian Kellerman was Rachel in pants… maybe he has been in her pants.

The next was from Quinn. _'Hey B.'_

Brooke sighed. That was how Brooke and Quinn always started a conversation when they knew something was up. Brooke said Hey Q. Quinn said Hey B. Brooke ignored the text just like all the others.

The last text was one from Peyton. It only held one word. _'Sorry'_

Brooke laid her phone back down and rolled onto her other side and waited for nightmare filled sleep to come.

'_Just tell me how you feel Brooke' _

Brooke woke up to the text from Peyton and at first ignored it. Why tell everyone her problems? She sat up in the bed pulling on a pair of jeans and picked up a jacket. It was bigger but she wasn't positive on who it belonged to.

As she went on through her morning ritual she decided that if Peyton asked the least she could do is reply.

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><p>'<em>I feel alone. I feel trapped. I feel broken. I feel disgusted. I feel embarrassed. I feel ashamed. I feel depressed. I feel ugly. I feel weak. I feel damaged. I feel lost. I feel like an outcast. I feel not like Brooke Davis. I feel sad. I feel betrayed. I feel miserable. I feel everything a teenager shouldn't feel. I hate myself'<em>

Then a second text came through all by itself. _'That good enough?'_

Lucas stared at the phone confused going back to what Peyton had sent to Brooke the night before. He read the text over and over and couldn't understand.

He looked around thinking he would be caught or something before replying. _'You're not alone Brooke. You have Jake, me, Quinn, Clay, Nathan, Alex, Rachel, Haley, Chase, Mouth, Skills. They love you Brooke. They don't see you as weak or broken. They do see you as sad and they hate it. We hate it. Cause you are our beautiful best friend and we'd never want you to ashamed because you have nothing to be ashamed for'_

Lucas knew she thought it was Peyton. He didn't understand how Brooke got so bad. How come no one noticed her slowly shutting down? Closing herself off from everyone. How could she hate herself? If she felt so bad why didn't she just tell someone?

'_I can't cry. I can't feel bad when I hurt people's feelings. I don't know what's wrong with me. Why can't I feel bad for others? I just don't care anymore'_

'_you can't mean that' _Lucas replied feeling even more bad for texting her when she obviously needed Peyton, but part of him didn't want to stop. He just wanted to help her.

'_I do. I've tried hurting when you or Jake tell me you guys miss me, or when someone's upset. I try to care when Clay told me him and Quinn had broken up. I just can't. I don't know why. I just don't see the point anymore'_

Where could she possible be going with this? Lucas started to panic slightly at the thought of Brooke sitting in a big house by herself when she was talking like this.

'_Brooke… the point is I need you. You're my best friend and I can't see going through life without you. The point is you are so talented and the world needs to see it. We're seniors Brooke. Soon we will go to college and Fiona will be a thing of the past. The point is we love you Brooke. All of us. Life isn't complete without Brooke Davis'_

He's supposed to be Peyton. Sound like Peyton, but of course some of that was him. Even if he didn't know Brooke like he used to. Even if she wanted nothing to do with him. He couldn't see life without Brooke Davis. He knew she would always be there and the thought of her not being there never crossed his mind. He realized he didn't like thinking about it.

'_Thanks'_

'_You're going to be okay. I promise Brooke. You're gonna be okay.'_

She never sent back after that. Lucas just seemed on edge thinking about Brooke lying there screaming while Fiona beat her. Laying there defenseless while Fiona-

Lucas didn't like thinking about that either. God, why was this happening to her? What did she ever do? And why couldn't he get her out of his head? He never really showed any interest toward Brooke. Good or bad. He never really cared about her. Of course he thought she was good looking. That was thing he would admit. He met the girl when he was seven years old. He didn't get to know her. He just knew her as Peyton's friend. He got close to all of Peyton's friends but not Brooke. He never understood why, he just always distanced himself.

Now he hated the fact he did it. If he just got to know her, he could text her and talk to her, but now he couldn't. He had to settle as his sister. That just sounded weird.

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><p>"Quinn" Clay jumped from the bench and started following Quinn to her car.<p>

"Can't talk Clay." She replied as she kept walking.

Clay ignored her comment and grabbed her arm making her look at him. "Baby… talk to me" He cupped her face and she shook her head.

"I can't." Quinn shook her head trying to make him let her go.

"Yes you can. Talk to me. Just tell me"

Quinn placed her hands on top of his pulling them away from her face. "I gotta go. Bye"

Quinn walked quickly away from Clay and sat in her car leaning against the steering wheel wishing he would just forget about her.

Clay stared at the car hopeless. He didn't understand how he could get her to talk to him. They were fine. They were doing fine and then next he knows she tells him she can't do it anymore. He just wanted her back.

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><p>Brooke groaned at the sound radiating from the living room. Guys, eight to be exact were in her living room being as loud as they could and she just wanted peace and quiet so she could read. She threw her book to the side and stomped down the stairs. She went to the kitchen and started opening drawers just to slam them back. She jingled the silverware, she turned the microwave on, and she opened cabinets.<p>

"You alright Brooke?" Chase questioned.

"Hey, I've been looking for that jacket" Mouth commented at the same time.

"I just want to read my book, but you guys are so damn loud, I can't hear my own thoughts. Just shut up. Kellerman, Rachel doesn't want you. Chase, yes Alex is pissed at you because she wants to see Harry Potter opening night and all she wants is to see it with you. So go see it. Skills, Bevin does want you. So date her. Mouth, talk to her, okay? Nathan, Paul McCartney was the first to leave the Beatles. Now shut the hell up" Brooke snapped at the guys that could snap her in half if they really wanted to.

She stomped back up the stairs, but not before hearing Ian Kellerman utter words he never should have. "I'm telling you Jake, if you two weren't siblings… actually you guys aren't. You think I could get with her?"

Jake got a disgusted face and smacked him in the back of the head when Brooke got back to the living room. "Kellerman!"

Ian turned around to face her. "Don't even think about it because I would never touch anyone as disgusting as you. You aren't as amazing as you think you are so stop with the I bag every girl that looks my way alright? And by the way the reason you don't get hits is because you drop your damn shoulder." Brooke glared at him before going back up the stairs and slamming the her door.

"Sorry, she hasn't exactly been herself lately" Jake apologized staring up at where Brooke stood.

"Baby girl is alright though, right man?" Skills questioned and Jake shrugged.

"I don't know. She won't talk to me. She won't talk to anyone. I don't think she even talks to Peyton anymore" Jake sighed sadly.

"What's wrong with her?" Ian asked, not rudely just genuinely curious as he rotated his shoulder and lifted it in a batters stance. Did he really drop his shoulder?

"Your guess is as good as mine"

"We'll get her back, right guys? We're gonna Brooke back though? This is just a phase? I mean… everyone goes through these phases" Clay questioned and all the guys turned their eyes on each other.

"Yeah, she'll be fine" Lucas reassured the group but none of the guys believed them. No one in the living room was sure they'd get Brooke back to the way she was.

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><p>"Hey" Brooke looked up from her book to see Alex crawling on the bed next to her.<p>

"Hey" Brooke smiled and Alex ignored that it was completely fake.

"The guys told me about your little freak out"

Brooke shrugged emotionless. "The boys need to calm down. I'm fine"

Alex wrapped her arm around Brooke's shoulder. "Yeah, I know you are"

Brooke sighed in relief. She could always count on Alex to do that. When Alex knew Brooke was uncomfortable or didn't want to talk or lied, Alex would go along with it instead of fighting her. Even when she knew it was wrong she would smile and change the subject.

"Thanks Alex"

"You're welcome. There's a get together with the gang coming up. You gonna come?"

"I don't know. Last time didn't end too well" Brooke cringed in embarrassment.

"Then don't drink. And stay the night"

"I don't know, Alex. I'll think about it." Brooke went back to reading her book and Alex sat there content.

This was why Alex Dupree was Brooke's friend. In these small moments when they would just sit there when Alex knew Brooke wanted a friend but didn't want to talk. When she would do whatever she could to get Brooke out of the house. Brooke felt like all her friends were protecting her as much as they could. As much as she would let them.

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><p>Brooke must have fallen asleep because she woke up and it was dark outside. She looked over to see Alex was asleep almost falling off the bed. Brooke pulled herself out of the bed, no longer tired, and could feel her stomach growling. She slowly made her way down stairs looking up at a clock seeing it read 1:35.<p>

She silently made her way into the kitchen and grabbed an orange and grabbed a knife and started cutting. She heard noise behind her and jumped slicing her finger in the process.

"Shit" She whispered in pain running over to the sink to wash the citrus out of the cut. "Oh my god, it burns!"

"Brooke? You okay?"

"Why does everyone keep asking? I'm fine" She snapped at the voice and then he came into view.

"I meant with the cut, Brooke" Lucas grabbed her hand wrapping a towel around her hand.

"Oh, yeah. That hurts" She said as he held her hand tightly.

"Sorry for scaring you. Someone is a little jumpy" He said sadly knowing why she was 'jumpy.'

"Yeah. Jake used to jump out at me when we were younger and I guess it kind of stuck" She lied.

"You're lying aren't you?" Lucas questioned.

Brooke looked up at him confused. "Why would you think that?"

"Cause I've known you since I was seven. I have been best friends with Jake since I was seven. He used to talk about trying to scare you and he never could. So why lie?"

"You don't know me Lucas and if you're smart you won't try to get to know me." She pulled out of his grip and started towards the bathroom when he answered.

"And what if I'm not smart?"

Brooke didn't look back at him. She stared at the floor. "That's the thing. You've been smart for ten years, you're gonna stay smart"

She left him then, forgetting about her orange. Not realizing that come tomorrow morning Lucas would text her because now he wanted to get to know her and not knowing it she would tell him everything.

**I hope everyone likes it! Some actual Brooke and Lucas interaction when she knows it's Lucas! Also some Quinn and Clay. Yeah, I will a little snips of other couples. Nothing major just so it isn't just always about Brooke.**

**Review!**


	5. Farmer's Daughter

**Quick Update!**

**From the lyrics you can see this chapter has Fiona in it. That part in the chapter was hard to write so it is probably terrible. But I did my best.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: Farmer's Daughter<strong>

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><p><em>You'd come home with bourbon breath, Jack in the air<em>_  
><em>_And when you broke my bones I told the school I fell down the stairs  
>Crystal Bowersox<em>_  
><em>

'_How's your finger?'_ Brooke looked at her phone confused wondering how Peyton knew about her finger. Lucas must have told her how crazy Brooke flipped out on him.

'_Lucas tell you?... it's alright.'_

Brooke looked in the mirror at herself rubbing her eyes. Maybe if she stared long enough everything would change. Back to before she moved here, back to before her mom died, back to before Jake and Fiona. She would be with her mom and dad. The two people that never gave up on her.

Brooke shook her head at her stupidity wanting to throw something at her reflection. "Stop moping. Be happy. You have great friends. An amazing big brother. Get over it" She told herself but she just kept staring at the reflection with a frown.

She turned back to her phone. _'Yeah… he said you were upset yesterday. Screaming at Ian.'_

Brooke sat her phone on the counter walking away from it. She wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone today. She just wanted to go back to sleep. She laid back in her bed pulling the covers over face wanting to get away from reality.

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><p>Lucas kept glancing at Peyton's phone wondering why she hadn't sent back. He started to let his mind wander. Was Fiona back already? Did she do something to Brooke? Brooke was acting weird yesterday anyway. He never would think she did but what if she did something to herself.<p>

Lucas told himself to stop acting a little girl. He was being stupid. It's just Brooke. She would get into these moods sometimes where she wouldn't want to talk to anyone. Peyton has told their mom about it all the time. She's fine.

"Lucas… you okay?" Lucas looked up from the coffee table to see his mom standing there looking at him confused.

"Yeah, mom. I'm fine" He said turning back to the phone.

"Then why are you staring at your sister's phone like it's about to walk away?" Karen questioned the seventeen year old with a smirk.

"I'm not"

"Oh? So I'm sorely mistaken. Who are you indirectly talking to?"

Lucas shook his head at her. "No one mom"

"Quinn? Haley? Alex? Rachel?... hmm or is it the lovely Brooke Davis?" Karen asked and Lucas once again shook his head. "Well, it can't be the first four because you have their number. Why are you talking to Brooke?"

"Not talking to Brooke" Lucas shrugged.

"Lucas, I taught you to not lie" She teased him.

"I'm not lying mom"

"Never understood you two."

Lucas glanced up at his mom. "Who?"

"You and Brooke. Lucas, I've seen Brooke Davis as a little girl, as a early teen, and as a young lady. I've seen her make mistakes, I have seen her grow close to my other son. And I've seen you avoid her, just like she avoids you."

"We don't avoid each other, mom"

"Oh honey, you two avoid each other like the other is the plague. Even when you were little. Brooke was in a room you weren't. You were on a team, Brooke chose the other. I just don't understand why you two kept such a distance" Karen shrugged curiously.

"we don't mom. We just never saw the point of getting each other" Until now that is.

"Right… either that or you two be scared you actually would care once you got to know each other."

"Whatever, mom" Lucas turned back to look at the phone.

"Do not hurt her, Lucas Scott"

"I'm not talking to her mom. How can I hurt her?"

"Don't" Karen demanded.

"Why does everyone think I'm going to hurt her?" Lucas asked confused.

"You have a tendency to not care for people"

"Have you met Brooke Davis? Does the girl even have emotion?" Lucas threw his arms out frustrated.

"You two are the same when it comes to feeling. That's why you avoid each other. That's why you have to use your sister's phone talk to her" Karen started up the stairs letting out a small laugh when she heard Lucas shout.

"I'm not talking to her!"

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><p>"Gatina!" Rachel heard behind her as she started her walk to her car.<p>

"Oh kill me now" She mumbled turning to see Ian Kellerman walking towards her. "Yes Kellerman?"

"You gonna talk to me?" He asked and Rachel looked around at her surroundings not looking at him.

"No" She said leaning against her car.

"Why not?" He asked leaning in closer placing both of his hands on either side of her.

"Cause I don't want to" Rachel told him with her arms crossed.

"Like hell you don't" He said resting his forehead against hers.

"Why don't you go sleep with one of your whores… because I am not going to sleep with you. Not anymore"

"That's not what I want. That's not what you want" Ian tried to tell her and Rachel looked at him sadly.

"You're right. I want you to tell me you didn't sleep with Theresa."

Ian looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Tell me you didn't sleep with Peyton's cousin"

"I never denied it" Rachel smirked. "Get away from me"

Ian pushed off the car and Rachel scampered into her seat and drove off leaving an angry Ian behind.

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><p>Brooke laid on the floor staring at the ceiling like she used to. People would always find her on the ground staring up and when asked why she said she was content. She was happy trying to find patterns in the ceiling and watching the clouds roll away from her.<p>

She stared at her ceiling but it didn't bring her the same happiness. She felt bored as she stared at the pale white patterned filled roof. She used to love the flower looking texture. She would stand on her bed and reach for it, feeling it. She would stare at it because they looked like a field of white flowers. She used her imagination to give it a story.

"It's been a while since I found you on the floor" Brooke looked over at the door to see Chase lying down next to her.

"Hey buddy" Brooke falsely smiled over at him looking back at the ceiling.

"What do you see?" He asked her and she shrugged.

"It just looks crammed and bland. The flowers are stuck in a colorless world when they deserve to be colorful and spread out. Not trapped in a room with no light" Brooke explained honestly and Chase looked at her concerned.

"Brooke?"

"Yeah" She looked over at him with a smile that was empty.

"Thanks for the advice with Alex. I don't know what I do without you" Chase informed grabbing her hand and squeezing.

"It was nothing. She just loves that movie"

"I love you Brooke. I wouldn't gotten through a lot of days without you. None of us would" He tried to tell her and she nodded.

Brooke could tell all her friends were trying to make her happy. Make sure she knew that they loved her and needed her but to be honest she just didn't care.

"Yeah." Brooke released his hand standing up, her shirt riding up in the process.

"Brooke, what's wrong with your back?" Chase could have sworn he saw a healing cut that looked like she had been burned.

"Oh, I was straightening my hair one day in bed like I usually do and I laid on top of the straightener. It hurt so bad" Brooke lied laughing at her stupidity.

"You sure?" Chase questioned not believing her.

"Yeah, don't worry. You guys told me I would burn myself sooner or later. I won't do it anymore"

Chase watched as she walked out of the room confused. "Okay"

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><p>"I heard what Brooke did to her back" Chase said as he, Alex, Lucas, Peyton and Quinn were scattered around Alex's living room.<p>

"What are you talking about?" Alex asked cutting her eyes at the other two females in the room.

"Well apparently she was straightening her hair while watching TV in bed and forgot and laid on the straightener. Gotta a pretty nasty burn from what I saw" Chase told them wondering if that was the truth.

"She burnt herself?" Lucas questioned not believing it for a second.

"yeah, you know Brooke" Quinn said quickly.

"I mean, she'd lose her head if it wasn't attached" Peyton agreed.

"I love her, but she forgets what she is doing sometimes" Alex added.

"Right" Lucas said not believing Fiona had burned Brooke. He wondered how she did it. With a pan, an iron, a straightener… so many thoughts raced through his head knowing that must have been what she meant with '_Alex did really well on my back_'

Peyton noticed Lucas looking a little pale and his leg kept shaking throughout the day. He was her big brother, even if it was by a few minutes and she could tell when something was bothering him and something was definitely bothering him.

"Lucas…" Peyton said once they had gotten back home.

"What?"

"You're okay right?"

"What are you talking about Peyton?" Lucas asked confused.

"You just seemed weird today. You seemed more… talkative than usual. You haven't you know…"

"Peyton, no. One time. That happened one time. It's nothing. I'm fine"

"Just be careful, okay? I don't want you getting hurt" Peyton hugged him tightly.

"What do you mean me?"

"Nothing. I just I love you."

"I love you too, Peyton. You're freaking me out though" Lucas laughed and she gave a small smile.

"Sorry, I've just been stressed with softball and friends and stuff"

"It's alright" Lucas smiled gaining one from Peyton and she walked out of the room.

"You talk to Brooke?" Nathan asked Lucas and only got a shrug. "You messing with her cause she's Brooke or are you getting to know her cause she's Brooke"

"Is there a difference?"

"There is. You don't even care about her so why does it matter if you talk to her?"

"I just want to make sure she's okay"

Nathan accepted his answer and started pouring a drink contemplating on questioning his brother. It was a question that he had always wanted to ask. Ever since they hit high school he had wanted to ask. After a few minutes he couldn't hold it in any longer and sat his drink down and looked at Lucas.

"Have you ever looked at Brooke?" Nathan asked him.

"What are you talking about? Of course I've look at her"

"No, I mean actually look at her. Watch her, find her quirks, and watch how she sits. Take a second to see her bounce her leg, or see her bite her lip. Have you ever looked at Brooke Davis for who she is? You haven't because you know. You know the second you look you will see it and like what you see. That's why you never got to know her or why you never talked to her, because you know you will like and you will want to help her. You think if you do it secretively when she doesn't know you won't feel it, but you felt the second you got that text from her."

"Whatever Nathan"

"I'm not worried about you hurting her. You will never get close enough to hurt her. She'll never let her guard down to hurt you. She isn't going anywhere though. She's been Peyton's friend, my friend forever. She's Jake's- your best friend's- sister. She never is going to not be around. So look at her, see what everyone else knows you will see." Nathan walked out leaving a confused Lucas to sit with his annoyed thoughts.

He didn't understand why everyone thought him and Brooke were avoiding each other. He didn't understand why everyone had this big reason for why they never got to know each other. It's not because deep down he has these deep feelings, nor does she. They just had an unspoken agreement where they just didn't see the point of becoming friends or hating each other. They just didn't care. They never had.

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><p>Brooke was asked by her friends to hang out at Rachel's house but she decided against it. It would be most likely end up being a big party and that would only send looks towards Brooke who would sit in the corner with sweatpants and a sweatshirt on. Not exactly party attire and didn't feel like hearing the insults and condescending looks girls like Theresa would send.<p>

Those girls always hated Brooke for the fact the whole starting lineup of the basketball team liked Brooke and befriended Brooke and she did wear baggy clothes whereas Theresa wore very little clothing and they all hated her. Theresa thought she could get farther in life by how good she looked. She didn't realize no one seemed to like her except she was okay in bed. That made her hate Brooke. So whenever she gets a chance to, she taunts Brooke and hates it even more that it doesn't bother Brooke. She has no idea how to get to her. She messes with her and all the guys scream at Theresa and it just gives me Theresa one more reason to hate Brooke Davis.

Jake had told Brooke he wouldn't be coming home that night because he wasn't sure if he would be drinking but if he did he would not be driving and would just stay at Rachel's.

Brooke said okay and went on with her day and at midnight she tensed at the sound of the door opening and slamming closed. She knew it wasn't Jake and no one else would be here and when she heard the screaming part of her... the very small piece that was still scared wanted to go find a hiding spot but the rational side of her knew that would only lead to an angrier Fiona. So she laid there waiting for the fight to being.

"You fucking bitch" She heard when the door flung open. Brooke closed her eyes at the insult that she had gone so accustomed to. She heard it more than she heard Fiona say her real name.

"You always had him around you finger, didn't you?" Fiona slurred stumbling over to Brooke who laid still. She didn't even shake anymore. She just waited for it to end. If she didn't fight back it would hurt less.

Brooke felt a hand grasp her hair tightly and pull her up harshly and instinct kicked in and Brooke grabbed the hand that was holding her scalp.

"He would still be here if it wasn't for you!" She was thrown across the room and slammed into her dresser and a vase fell on to Brooke breaking and cutting her arm. Brooke winced at the pain and did all she could to cover her face. She didn't even have time to react before her hair was against grabbed and she roughly pulled on to her feet.

Fiona yanked her head back to look Brooke's face. "Are you scared? You don't have daddy to protect you anymore." Fiona taunted throwing her back into the wall and Brooke felt the healing cuts on her back starting to reopen.

The pain began in the center of her back and the slowly made it's way to her stomach. She bit her lip to not fight Fiona and could taste blood. She knew she would have to find an excuse for her busted lip. Technically Fiona didn't do that.

Brooke slid to the floor and regretted the decision when she felt Fiona's stiletto covered foot kick her in the stomach. Brooke curled into a ball and rolled to her side and felt the shoe kick into her back and Brooke arched away from it silently. She didn't feel tears coming but it instead felt sleepy.

Fiona walked to stand in front of Brooke and dug her heel into Brooke's arm Brooke could feel the skin breaking and could see traces of blood seeping through the white shirt that she would have to throw away.

"You make me sick" Fiona spit on Brooke before stumbling back out the door and Brooke pulled herself up wiping the spit off her face disgusted.

Fiona always spit on her when she was done. Brooke could deal with it all but whenever she spit on her she just felt like she was nothing.

Brooke crawled slowly to her door shutting it softly and locking it before dragging herself to her bathroom and opening the cabinet under the sink. She found the gauze and tape because she knew the cut was too deep for a band aid. She placed the gauze on the inch long cut and wrapped the tape around it tightly before checking her back. The cuts had broken but they weren't bleeding so she didn't bother on them.

She went to her other arm that had been cut by the vase and grabbed more gauze. There were about five or six cuts so she just wrapped the whole around her arm before putting the tap around it.

Brooke mentally told herself she was just getting practice for medical school. She thought it was a funny mean joke.

She checked everywhere else to make sure she wasn't bleeding anywhere else before she slowly made it to the bed and laid there until morning never falling asleep thinking only one thing.

She should have gone to that party.

**I hope it wasnt awful...**

**It was difficult to write... well more Lucas and Brooke next chapter... yay!**

**Review.**


	6. High School Never Ends

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter. I was glad you guys liked it because like I said I was nervous about it.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: High School Never Ends<strong>

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><p><em>All the total dicks<em>_  
><em>_All the stuck up chicks__  
><em>_So superficial, so immature  
>-Bowling For Soup<em>

"Brooke" Haley whispered as she opened the door. She had used the secret key that only a handful of people knew about and saw Brooke lying on the bed.

"She's back" Brooke replied sitting up and turning to look at Haley who was relocking the door.

"Did she hit your face?" Haley asked sitting down next to her on the bed and Brooke shook her head.

"No, that was from me biting it" Brooke shrugged.

"Brooke, why is there blood in your hair?" Haley observed noticing the back of Brooke's head was in a tangled mess of blood.

"Oh, that was uh… she um…" Brooke pointing at her head not wanting to explain and Haley nodded.

"Come on" Haley stood up extending her hand which Brooke took and Haley pulled a stool in the bathroom in front of the sink making Brooke take a seat. Brooke laid her head back and Haley turned the water on running it through Brooke's hair, her eyes watering when she watched the bloody water fill the sink. She filled a cup and poured it on Brooke's scalp running her fingers through it and shampooing it until all the blood was out. She had to wash four times before the water came out clean.

"Is it better?" Brooke asked and Haley nodded handing Brooke a towel to dry her hair with.

Brooke flipped over and scrubbed the hair gently to get all the excess water out when Haley asked about the other injuries.

"A vase broke… onto my arm. I cleaned it all up though. I didn't even notice my head so thanks. I need to go throw this shirt away and my sheets." Brooke shrugged going back to her room pulling her shirt over head and Haley gasped at the bruises. Her back was completely black and blue and her front side wasn't much better.

"What happened?"

"High heel shoes" Brooke commented pulling one of Jake's old shirts on and went to the bedding rolling it in a big ball. "I really liked these sheets"

"Here" Haley handed her a trash bag and Brooke placed all the ruined sheets in it tying it up before sitting it by the door.

"You guys don't have practice today?" Brooke asked and Haley tilted her head to the side.

"Brooke it's Monday" Haley clarified.

"So…" Brooke said confused and Haley had a worried look on her face.

"Brooke, we have school today. That's… that's why I am here. I always get you first day" Haley said sadly and Brooke looked at her hands embarrassed.

"Oh, sorry. I forgot. Let me go get ready"

"We have an hour" Haley told her as Brooke pulled on a pair of sweatpants over her shorts and traded the shirt of Jake's for one of hers. She kept her wet hair down and slipped on a pair of flip flops when she noticed Haley holding a bag.

"What's that?" Brooke asked when Haley handed it to her.

"Jake got your stuff together for you. He said he had practice this morning. He came in about three hours ago"

"What time is it?"

"Seven" Haley answered.

"What about the party?"

"What party? Last night wasn't a party. Just a hangout with the usual people. You should've been there" Haley sighed and Brooke shrugged as they started down the stairs.

"I thought it was a party"

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><p>"Brooke, what happened to your lip?" Jake freaked when Brooke walked into her first period. It was a sort of study hall class that held just seniors. Senior including all her friends, and a few people the group couldn't stand.<p>

Jake had crossed the room to Brooke with his hand under her chin lifting her head in the light not knowing it was sending Brooke's head reeling in pain.

"I'm fine Jake. I just had a run in with Haley's head this morning" She lied perfectly as usual and Haley nodded in response as she passed the siblings to the open seat next to her boyfriend.

"Does it hurt?" He asked and she shook her head.

"No, buddy. I'm fine" She grabbed his hand pulling it away from her face and sat down next to Mouth.

"Hey bestie with no testes" Mouth joked wondering if Brooke respond how she used.

"Hey" Mouth frowned when instead of replying with hey bestie with testes she replied with just hey and laid her head on his shoulder closing her eyes.

The room was tense. Quinn sat near the front with Rachel while Ian and Clay sat in the back and stared at the back of their head's the whole time. Skills would occasionally glance over at Bevin who was oblivious to him. Alex read through Harry Potter again while Chase sat comfortably beside her rubbing her back. Peyton sat rigidly in her seat next to Jake who both watched Brooke curiously. Lucas sat next Skills wondering how Brooke really busted up her lip.

Usually the group was loud and talking. The rest of the class had never seen them so quiet. It made Theresa want to know why when she walked in. "Hey Brookie…" She taunted and fourteen heads turned to glare at her.

Brooke just kept her eyes shut. "What's wrong Brookie? Why so silent, Brookie?"

"Oh my god you're voice is annoying. I am trying to read, you snot nose-" Chase covered Alex's mouth when the teacher walked in.

"Is there a problem?"

There was a mumble of no's and the teacher walked back out and Chase released his grip. "Bitch" Alex finished.

"I just wanted to know what happened to Brookie Cookie's lip. You are all very silent today." Theresa observed with a winning smile. She thought she had something to do with it and when she saw Rachel's jaw clenched she got an idea. "Ian…"

"Leave me alone" Ian deadpanned not taking his eyes off Rachel.

"Ian, I really had fun this weekend" She said with a fake raspy voice. Rachel looked over her shoulder at Ian with a look of _'I can tell you miss me' _and Ian shook his head at her.

"Rachel… I am really sorry for everything. Things just happened" Theresa shrugged and Brooke decided to intervene.

"Hey Theresa" Brooke said tiredly not even opening her eyes.

"What?"

"You're boyfriend left this at my place" Brooke tossed her a letterman jacket she had actually found in bathroom but from the name she knew it had to do with Theresa. Theresa caught it ungracefully before opening up her mouth and closing it like a fish out of water.

"I know the only thing you are good at with your mouth open is well you know.. but keep it closed. IT's unattractive and I am really sorry for everything. Things just happened" Brooke mocked never moving from Mouth's shoulder and Theresa stomped back to her seat.

Rachel turned around and smiled at Brooke who hadn't noticed. Mouth leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Where'd you really find that jacket?"

"Bathroom"

"I don't know why she is so mad. She will break up with the guy by the end of the week anyway" Quinn grumbled and they all agreed.

Jake leaned across his seat. "You didn't right?

"No Jake, I didn't have sex with her boyfriend" Brooke mumbled softly and Jake let out a breath and sitting back down.

"Good"

Lucas smiled at Brooke. Theresa hated the fact Brooke could have such a no care attitude. She wanted so bad to be Brooke that to Lucas, it just came off pathetic. He noticed Brooke kept scratching at her arm and held it at an awkward angle and he wondered what Fiona had done to her last night.

When the bell rang all the friends started to the door and Brooke grabbed her stuff slowly and was the last one out along with Ian. "Umm.. Brooke?"

"Yeah?" She asked turning around to face him.

"Thank you for the Theresa thing. I wasn't with her this weekend, just so you know"

"Why would it matter if you were?" Brooke asked him.

"Because of the whole Rachel thing. She thinks I slept with Theresa and I never did. I never would. I have slept with a lot of people, Rachel knows that."

"You slept with Rachel?" Brooke questioned not really surprised. Ian looked at her confused.

"I thought you of all people would have known that"

"My mind hasn't really been intact lately… but umm… I got to go. You're welcome and don't hurt her" Brooke rambled quickly making her exit.

"Thanks for the shoulder tip" Ian called after her and she tossed a hand up keeping her head down as she headed to her next class.

She made it to her Literature class right before the bell rang and the only person she knew in the class was Lucas. She weaved through desks and took a seat next to him quietly staring at her hands the whole time. Hey eyes got wide and she quickly hid her hands underneath the desk.

Lucas couldn't help but cut his eyes over at her throughout the class. She picked at her fingernails the whole class and noticed under the nails held red. Lucas zoned in on the nails feeling sick to his stomach at the sight of her trying to get the blood off her nails.

It being the first day, the teacher handed out the syllabus and then went to her desk letting them talk the rest of the class. The class only held about twelve students saying as it was an advanced course for seniors only. It was just for the nerds that spent their time reading and analyzing poems in their free time.

Of course Lucas and Brooke didn't do that but they could if they wanted to. As the hour progressed Brooke's picking got more urgent and she kept glancing quickly around her to make sure no one had noticed. It was as though she wasn't aware she had missed a spot.

She quickly thought it was from scratching at her head and placed her hand on the back of her head nonchalantly and pulled away thankful there was no blood on it.

Lucas felt horrible as she seemed to be shaking and he regretted when he reached over to tap her on the shoulder because she jumped and turned her head quickly to glare at him.

"Hey Brooke"

Brooke breathing returned to normal and she looked back down at her hands before looking up at him. "Hi"

"Nervous about the class?" He questioned trying to make normal conversation and she shrugged.

"Not really. I mean, I understand this. I think I'll be good" She said in clipped tones and he nodded knowing he wasn't going to get anywhere with her.

"I'm sorry about your lip" Lucas gestured and she covered it with her hand quickly. When she did he looked down at her now blood red fingers from her scraping job and she pulled the sleeves of her shirt down to cover them.

"Not your fault. Haley is just hard headed" She said pulling his attention away from her hands.

Lucas sighed and with a slight nod ended the conversation.

* * *

><p>At lunch, the group split up. The girls would sit at one circular table and the boys sat at one right next to them and had been doing this since they were freshman. Brooke was the first to get there and being as she wasn't hungry she took a seat at the table and picked at the hem of her shirt.<p>

When people started to fill up the cafeteria and none of them were familiar faces she started to chew on her nail but she tasted blood so she quickly ended that. As most people know Brooke wasn't one to show emotion, so it was a surprise when she groaned in annoyance when she saw the person that took the seat next to her.

"Hey" Brooke ignored the body next to her and kept looking straight ahead. She knew her decision this morning would come back to haunt her ass.

"Are you deaf? I said hey" Once again Brooke ignored the comment.

"Fine, I'll talk and you can pretend to not hear me. So I heard about what you did in first period with my jacket and all I am saying if you are going to start rumors we might as well make them true" He smirked and Brooke turned to look at him.

"You don't really want that" Brooke told him calmly as she wondered where her damn friends were.

"Oh? I think I do" he said roughly leaning closer to her. Brooke took a deep breath before she started her calm speech.

"No you don't, because you see the only reason you are over here is because your psycho bitch of a girlfriend can't stand me. She hates that all my friends are star jocks. She hates the fact my brother wants nothing to do with her so she settled for you." She gave him a once over before continuing. "Which I can see why she is upset because you are senior but from what jacket says you have only lettered once which means the only reason you have that jacket is because you are good enough to play JV, but seniors can't play JV so they will just make you feel better about yourself by handing you that jacket because you have been loyal for damn years even though I don't know why, football team sucks which again makes you mad because, hey I am back into the equation as star basketball player's little sister. So _you _came over here because _you_ heard I said _you _left a jacket at _my _place because I want you. What I wanted was I found a jacket and was tired of hearing the most annoying voice I have ever heard and thought hey let's give her a dose of her own medicine. So no you don't want that because we both know I wouldn't touch you with ten foot pole. So walk away before my brother finds out you even breathed in the same air as me" Brooke told him and he stared at her with his mouth hanging open and then looked over the shoulder at Theresa who stood smirking at her, "Oh, also your girlfriend actually is cheating on you. That isn't a rumor." She added and the brunette stood up angrily stocking away and Brooke turned back to staring straight ahead.

"Did Brooke Davis just show emotion?" Rachel asked taking a seat after seeing the scene that had just played out.

"You know he never slept with her right?" Brooke ignored her question when she watched Ian and Skills walk in.

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't know I do know that he didn't sleep with her" Brooke shrugged.

"You can't believe everything he says"

"All I am saying is that what girl who has a boyfriend will try so hard to make sure only one person know she cheated on him with a guy you don't even date. And the fact the whole time she talks to him he stares at you. Kellerman screws over a lot people, hell he screws a lot of people. If he didn't care and slept with her, trust me you would know."

"Doesn't mean anything" Rachel denied as the rest of the table slowly filled up and the conversation was forgotten.

* * *

><p>"Will you charge this when you get home?" Peyton tossed her phone at Nathan as she pulled her hair into a ponytail quickly.<p>

"Why can't you?"

Peyton growled at her brother. "Nathan, you have morning practice. I have afternoon practice. I don't have time to go home and plug my phone in and get back in time. What is the big deal with you plugging it in?"

"Damn, calm down Peyt, I was just kidding." He laughed handing her, her bag.

"Sorry" She took the bag for him giving him a hug.

"Peyt, what's wrong?" He asked pulling away from her.

"Nothing, I am just very emotional" She laughed.

"Steve?" He asked with a gross face and she shoved him playfully.

When the girls were younger and they started getting their periods they didn't want the boys knowing so they just started calling it Steve. At some point Nathan found out and even though he never told anyone he would still call it Steve just so he didn't have to call it a period. Boys were so stupid about that kind of thing.

"Grow up Nathan" She laughed waving as she started to the field and that was about the time Lucas walked up placing his stuff in his truck beside him.

"Hey man, you want to go to moms?" Lucas questioned and Nathan nodded saying as they always went to the café after school.

"I got to go to the garage first though cause dad wanted to check something on my bike so meet me there" Nathan explained putting on his helmet climbing onto Keith's old bike that he had passed down to Nathan just as he had passed down the truck to Lucas and Karen had given the Comet to Peyton.

"I got to stop by the house anyway"

"Could you plug this in for Peyton?" Nathan tossed the cell phone before adding on, "And do it without texting pretty brunettes?"

Lucas just shook his head at him with a laugh as Nathan sped out of the parking lot and Lucas reluctantly followed knowing he probably wouldn't hold up on that deal.

**Another quick update. And I know you guys probably get annoyed that Brooke doesn't try to get help and I promise you will find out her reasoning in later chapters.**

**I already have next chapter written and includes flashbacks, and an argument between Lucas and Brooke.**

**I will probably update by the end of next week, or sooner… I don't really know.**

**Review!**


	7. I Got You

**Longest chapter yet! What up! Sorry, I have been watching a lot of How I met You're Mother.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7: I Got You<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Go ahead and say goodbye, I'll be alright<em>_  
><em>_Go ahead and make me cry, I'll be alright__  
><em>_And when you need a place to run to__  
><em>_For better, for worse I got you, I got you__  
>Leona Lewis<br>_

Lucas made it to the house sitting down his bag down when the phone vibrated. He checked his first and when he noticed it was Peyton's part of him grew nervous. He wasn't sure what he was nervous about it but he carefully checked the message.

'_Fiona's back'_

Lucas knew that by the blood and her lip and debated in his head what Peyton would say during this. _'I had a feeling…'_

He walked up the stairs into Peyton's room plugging the phone in and started out the door when he saw the pictures that hung the room.

There were many of Peyton and Jake, Peyton with Lucas and Nathan, and some with all the girls. There was one wall that was as though it was dedicated to Brooke and Peyton's memories. One spot had a note Brooke had written onto the wall. He looked closer to see what it said.

_You will forever be the Lennon to my McCartney  
>- February 25, 2002<em>

Lucas laughed. That was a year after Brooke had moved here. He moved on to random pictured of them through the years at softball tournaments, at birthday parties and many other events. Brooke looked like the happiest girl in the world and soon the pictures started to turn to Brooke not looking as happy and her wardrobe completely different. Brooke wasn't one to wear very little clothing but she definitely wore less than she does now.

There was one picture that caught his eye that he had never seen before. It was of the whole group. They were sophomores because Kellerman was there and he moved there when they were freshmen grade. It must have been after Brooke's dad died because she wasn't in a softball uniform like all the other girls. They must have been at a tournament in between games because they were all lying out on a blanket not paying attention to the camera.

Peyton had her head in Jake's lap and was listening to her iPod while Jake had his head flung back like he was laughing. Nathan, Haley, Quinn, and Clay were playing a card game and Quinn had been frozen in the picture just as she had leaned over to do something to Clay. Knowing Clay, he had probably cheated. Rachel, Alex, Chase, Kellerman, Mouth, and Skills were laughing probably at the same thing Jake was which was probably Quinn and Clay.

It was all normal, but what Lucas was confused about was what he and Brooke were doing in the picture. He hadn't remembered the picture or the day until he saw them. They were blurry, in the background. She had he hands on her hips glaring up at him as he had his hands on her shoulders looking like he was screaming at her.

"_Clay! For once I ask you to not steal and eat all the poker chips!" Quinn snapped grabbing a cookie out of Clay's mouth._

"_Oh, I am sorry you use cookies as poker chips" He scoffed making everyone laugh. They were so engrossed in the game that none of them noticed Karen snap a picture or notice the two teens fighting feet behind them._

"_Leave me alone, Lucas! You are such an asshole!" Brooke snapped at him trying to step away from him and he placed his hands on her long sleeve covered shoulders._

_She had quit softball about nine months ago and her year had been awful. Her dad had died a year ago and Fiona became abusive and Brooke was just praying it would end soon. To top it Lucas wouldn't just leave her alone._

"_Stop being such a bitch for five seconds" He growled and tried to pry his hands off her._

"_Stop touching me, you prick" She hissed with her hands on her hips shifting her weight on to her right leg._

"_You going to talk to me?" He asked with a glare and she shook her head, "You need-"_

"_I don't need anyone" She stomped away from him._

Peyton probably didn't even know that it was Brooke and Lucas in the back of the picture. Lucas took in her wardrobe that he could make out. Baggy jeans and an old softball shirt she had gotten that had always been too big for her.

Lucas leaned his against the wall sighing angrily. How the hell could he have not noticed? The phone vibrated and he should have left it alone because Nathan was probably waiting for him but he didn't even a put up a fight as he picked up the phone.

'_The lip wasn't from her. I pinky it'_

"I pinky it?" Lucas said confused looking at his pinky. "Maybe she promises? I don't know girls are weird" He grumbled to himself before texting back.

'_Where'd did you get it?'_

He sat onto Peyton's bed staring at the wall. The Harry Potter acceptance letter Brooke sent to Peyton when she was eleven hung closely to a picture of Alex, Brooke, and Peyton dressed in robes with Peyton and Alex wear red and gold ties and Brooke wearing a green and silver one.

"Halloween '07" He said softly remembering because he along with the guys had lost a bet to the girls and they got to pick the costumes. Thankfully, Brooke picked out Lucas' and just made him dress up as a detective. She said she felt bad and didn't want to do what the other girls were doing because they picked awful things. Poor Skills was a fairy.

He checked the phone to see a text. _'I honestly bit my lip… I g2g Peyt'_

'_Be careful' _He sat the phone down and started out when he bumped the table and a letter fell to the ground. He picked it up and looked over his shoulder thinking someone would be there. He opened it to see it was from Brooke from sophomore year.

It wasn't long but he only caught the last line. It was only one sentence and only held six words.

_I'm sorry for what I did._

He remembered when this was sent. Summer before their junior year all the girls went through this phase where they would write to each other and send letters instead of using internet or phones like normal people. He never saw the letters but he knew when it must have been sent.

He sat it back down and quickly left the room trying to understand everything. Sorry for what?

* * *

><p>"Dad…" Keith looked up from the bike and saw Nathan playing with his hands.<p>

"Yeah?"

"If you knew something that you weren't supposed to know would you tell someone? Or act like you never knew?"

Keith sat down his tools and picked up a rag walking towards his son. "Depends… what do you know?"

"Something. About someone. And I don't think she wants me knowing. I actually am sure she doesn't. But I can't forget and I don't know what to do"

"Is this about Haley?" Keith questioned.

"No sir, she's fine. We're good. I have this friend and she sent something on Peyton's phone but me and Luke saw and he now texts her pretending to be Peyton because he wants to help her and you know now that I know I keep noticing and I don't know what to do"

Keith nodded in understanding. "You're talking about Brooke aren't you?"

"How'd you know?"

"I have known Brooke Davis since she was a little girl. Her dad was one of my closest friends…" He paused and Nathan nodded for him to continue. Keith leaned against the car. "She was a happy little thing. Could talk to anyone just like her daddy. Then Rich… he was just gone. She was so lost. Your mom and I have had many conversations about her because we can see she isn't the same. She is trying to go through this alone. Thinking she can take anything that comes at her. And if she told you something you aren't supposed to know… well then don't know it. Of course protect her but sometimes we can just let her think she can get through it by herself but we're all here when she realizes it's okay for her to not be on top of everything." Keith told him wisely and Nathan hugged him quickly.

"Thanks dad"

"You're welcome. And your bike seems fine."

Once Nathan had left Keith let out big breath. He promised Richard he would protect her. He never thought she would make it so hard for everyone.

* * *

><p>"How are you, buddy?" Rachel sat on the bleachers after practice as she and Quinn took off their cleats.<p>

"You know… I'm here" Quinn sighed placing her shoes in her bag and grabbing her athletic sandals.

"Why don't you just tell him the truth?" Rachel asked and Quinn shook her head.

"Tell Ian the truth"

"That's different." Rachel said defensively.

"Oh… and how do you figure?"

"I'm not in love with him. I haven't been with him for two and a half years. He isn't completely head over her heels can't function without me in love with me like Clay is. It's completely different"

"I am not going to make him choose" Quinn said sadly.

Rachel looked at her sadly. "He thinks you don't care"

"Good. I love you Rachel but don't mess with it okay. I know what I'm doing"

Alex walked up at that point already having her stuff together. "You okay Alex; you didn't really seem into it today?"

"Senior year started today" Alex told them.

"Yeah, we know we were there" Quinn teased.

"Chase wants to join the army" She sat down in disbelief.

"Oh" Rachel and Quinn said in unison.

"I have a year with him and then he goes to training and I could lose him" Alex ran her hand through her hair aggravated.

"Well… we do this all the time. We say we know what we're gonna do with our lives and then we change our minds. I mean I used to want to be a director till I took that class and I realized how much I hated it" Quinn placed a hand on Alex's knee trying to make her feel better.

"And you used to want to be a lawyer and now you don't and I wanted to be a social security worker but not anymore" Rachel added on Alex smiled at their suggestions.

"He isn't changing his mind"

"But maybe this is all just a lifetime dream…" Quinn shrugged.

Alex sighed. Senior year was supposed to be fun. Now she would never want it to end even more. If they graduated she would lose him. He could hurt and she didn't think she could live with that.

* * *

><p>Brooke was having a minor freak out. No matter what she did, the blood wouldn't come off. She didn't even know where it came from. Maybe she ran her hands through her hair during her sleep, maybe she pulled on her shirt that had blood on it. She wasn't really sure, but it was under her nails and all day it had been bothering and she kept trying to get it out but she just cut her hands up in the process.<p>

"Please, please come off" She was breathing erratically at the fear of someone seeing it or Fiona seeing it and remembering what she did.

"Brooke" She heard from outside the bathroom and she jumped.

"Yeah?" She said as she wiped her hands and threw the towel when her fingers still were tinted red.

"I was just wondering if you were okay"

Brooke looked around trying to find an excuse for why she had been in there for two hours. "Yeah, I'm just doing my nails, but I can't find a color I like"

"Oh okay… well I'm here"

"Alright, Jake" She answered back.

"I was going to go get some dinner. You want to come?" Jake asked.

"Uhh… yeah, just hang on" She said unplugging the sink and the water drained she looked at her hands.

There were scrapes all over her fingers and they were slightly scabbed over. It looked she had an anxiety problem where she was trying to pull her skin off.

She sighed deciding to just keep her hands in her sweatshirt pocket and opened the door to see Jake sitting next to the door.

"How long you been here?" She asked.

"When did you go in there?" He shrugged with a sad look on his face as he pulled himself up.

"Sorry for scaring you" She replied. He placed an arm over her shoulders and tried to ignore her flinch.

"It's alright. I'm the big brother. I am supposed to worry"

"You have nothing to worry about"

Jake looked down at her. "You sure?"

"Yeah, I am fine"

"But I don't want you to be fine. I want to be great, happy, never been better"

"Then I am great, happy and have never been better" She pulled away from him and went to sit in the car and waited for him wishing he would drop it.

* * *

><p>"Two of my favorite people!" Karen smiled when she saw the two teens walk in.<p>

"Hey Mrs. S" Jake headed to the back and Brooke took a seat at the counter.

"Hey Karen" Brooke smiled playing with the menu.

"What do you want today?" Karen asked.

"Umm… can I just have some of your soup?" Brooke questioned and Karen's smile faltered.

Karen had noticed Brooke's size had decreased greatly in the last few years. Brooke had always been thin, but she had curves and now she was just skin and bones. She used to get a double cheeseburger and double order of fries and now she is getting just soup and it unnerved Karen.

"Yeah… what will your brother want?"

"His usual" Brooke answered while Karen sat down a drink in front of her.

"What's this?" Brooke looked up at Karen.

"Dr. Pepper"

Brooke greedily took it ripping open a straw and started drinking it quickly. "Karen, you know how I feel about your Dr. Pepper"

"That I do" Karen laughed going to the back where her sons and Jake were talking.

"She was in there for two hours guys" Jake had his hands covering his face.

"Maybe she was really doing her nails" Nathan suggested and Jake shook his head.

"She wasn't. She came out covering her hands. And had the sink running the whole time she was in there"

Karen walked back out as though she hadn't heard anything and handed Brooke her bowl of soup and handed her a spoon. Brooke eyed it carefully slowly taking it knowing she would have to be careful not to show her hands. Karen pretended to be fixing coffee trying to get a glimpse of Brooke's hands. When she saw her finger she held in a gasp. They looked bruised chapped from something, and from the looks of it Karen guessed from Brooke picking at it. Karen looked up at Brooke who had her head so far in the bowl that she could be drinking it without the spoon.

"Brooke…" Brooke looked up and Karen then noticed that her lip was swollen.

"Yes mam?"

"Honey, what happened to you lip?" Karen asked reaching out to lift her chin much how Jake had done that morning.

"You're son's girlfriend has a very hard head and I ran into it this morning" Brooke lied and Karen nodded.

"Do you want anything else?" Karen asked seeing the bowl was near empty.

"No mam. This was too much anyway" Brooke pushed the bowl away and pulled her drink closer holding onto it for dear life.

Karen's heart broke at the sight and walked around the counter to pull Brooke into a hug. "I love you so much Brooke… like you are one of my own" She kissed the top of her head and Brooke nodded once pulling away.

"Thank you Karen for the food. Is Jake in the back?"

"Yes, he was talking to the boys while his food cooked" Brooke nodded picking up her drink and curling it close to her body and shuffled her way to the back of the café.

"Hey Natey, Lucas" Brooke said through slurps of her drink and took a seat on one of the counters. The boys stopped their hushed conversation to see her swinging her legs back and forth as she sipped on her drink. All three of them could tell the cheery attitude was an act but not one of them pushed the issue.

"You done eating already?" Lucas asked and she nodded.

"I just had some soup and this" Brooke chewed on the straw before taking another long sip.

"You like the drink Brooke?" Nathan joked and she once again gave a small nod.

"You're food is probably almost done, Jake" Brooke informed and he nodded walking passed her, kissing the side of her head before making his way to the front of the café and Nathan followed seconds after.

"See you later Brookie" Nathan hugged her tightly also making his exit and Brooke pouted when she took another sip and she only got air.

"It all gone?" Lucas questioned with a small smiled and she nodded, "Give it to me" She handed him the cup and left the kitchen to return later with a totally different cup and Brooke let out a small gasp.

It was a cup Brooke had 'donated' to the café only a few years ago. In reality she was the only one that used it because it was probably a liter size cup with Beatles on it.

"Where'd you find this?" She asked as she started to drink it.

"It's been in the cabinet but mom just never used it. You haven't been here in a while so she really had no use for it"

"I can't believe you guys kept it" Brooke sighed slurping It down.

"You're part of the family Brooke. You always have been" He shrugged leaning against an island counter in front her crossing his arms.

"Remember how I got it?"

Lucas let out a laugh. "Yeah, if I remember correctly we were at a Beatles tribute concert. We were…"

"Fifteen" Brooke interjected and Lucas nodded.

"Yes, we were fifteen. It was all of us. Peyt, me, Nate, Haley… and the list goes on. Let's see they had this game set up. It was one of those dunk games and you made me get in the dunk tank… and nearly decapitated me" He laughed thinking about it.

Brooke smiled a real small smile as she thought about the memory. "I was a little rusty"

" '_ello ma lady" The man smiled to Brooke and Lucas looked at him with a strange look._

"_Awful accent" He whispered to Brooke and she rolled her eyes at him annoyed._

"_What would you like?" He asked her and she eyed the tank._

"_I want to do that" She pointed at tank._

"_I'm sorry. We have no one to be in the tank" He shrugged and Brooke looked up at Lucas._

"_He'll do it" Peyton said from behind them pushing Lucas to the tank. The man agreed with a laugh and Lucas tried to get out of it._

"_Wait… what? Why me?" He asked aggravated._

"_Well, we are girls. And you suck at baseball" Peyton shrugged and he groaned climbing slowly and sitting on the seat. Soon the whole gang had circled around and the man handed Brooke three softballs._

"_What do I win?" Brooke questioned. _

_It was her first time being out since her dad had died. She told them it was because she was grieving but the truth was she was embarrassed about Fiona and didn't want people questioning the marks. The girls forced her though and she was tired of everyone babying her so she decided this would get them off her back._

"_Well, this" The man pulled a box the held a Beatles cup and Brooke's face lit up._

"_Lucas, you're dead" Brooke told him seriously as she stretched her arms._

"_Brooke, you don't have to stretch." Lucas teased her and she shook her head at him._

"_You should be scared" She taunted and their friends laughed. _

_Being arrogant, she threw away the first two on purpose. The first on hit the ground and the second almost took off Lucas' head. The girls all laughed while the boys just thought she had lost her magic arm._

"_Put him out of his misery Brooke" Alex laughed and Brooke winked at Lucas before winding up pitching it hard and waved as he fell into the water._

"Sorry" Brooke took another sip quickly not wanting someone to take it away from her.

"Give me your hands Brooke" Lucas stepped in front of her and she sat the drink down and hid her hands.

"Why?" She asked.

"I just want to see them…" He trailed off not knowing what else to say.

"No" She crossed her arms.

"Brooke… just let me see your hands." She continued to ignore him and he placed both hands on either side if her. "Either let me see them or I will get Jake"

"I could just kick you" She said angrily.

"And then I still tell Jake. If there is nothing wrong why won't you let me see them?"

"What… did Jake want you to question me? He thinks I'm hurting myself" She said defensively.

"Brooke, you sat in a fucking bathroom for two hours" He snapped at her and she flinched.

Brooke flushed red and looked at the door making sure no one heard him. "Lucas, you can't come up to me acting like you know me. Sure we know each other in association but we aren't friends so leave me alone"

"I know you better than you think or want people to think" He growled at her and she went to push him away when he took it as his chance and grabbed her hands. He pulled the long sleeves up just enough to see her hands covered in cuts and scrapes. Her small soft hands were now chapped and dry from sitting in rubbing alcohol.

"Brooke…"

"Don't, okay. I know what that look is and you don't know what this is, okay. I can take care of myself and I don't-"

"Yeah, obviously you're doing a great job" She pulled her hands away and Lucas felt the sting of her hand across his cheek.

"Stop. Just stop Lucas. I don't want your pity. Just stop, because you have no room to talk because you aren't my friend. You chose not to be" She jumped off the counter pushing him away in the process and hastily making her way out of the kitchen and not stopping when she told Jake she could walk home.

Lucas leaned against the counter placing his face in his hands shaking with anger when Nathan walked in. "What happened?"

"Nothing" Lucas told him shoving passed telling his mom he will see her at home missing the confused looks shared by Nathan, Karen, and Jake.

Brooke kept her arms crossed over her chest as she walked home keeping her head down not wanting to talk to anyone she passed. She shoved passed someone not noticing who it was until she was called.

"Brooke" She turned around to see Skills and Mouth looking at her.

"Yeah?" She questioned wishing everyone would just leave her alone.

"What are you doing walking home?" Skills asked.

"Just wanted fresh air. Jake is at the cafe" She turned back to walk away when once again she heard her name. She turned around. "What?"

"You okay?" Mouth asked and Brooke ran her hands through her hair.

"I'm fine. I wish everyone would leave me alone" She said through clenched teeth not stopping when they called after her again.

**Angry Brooke… angry Lucas…. Funny. Okay. Well it will take me longer to update because I had the next chapter written but it was deleted…. It was sad.**

**Anywho, Review.**

**Not even going to comment on the rhyme. Who am I kidding that totally rhymed.**


	8. Feel

**Sorry for the wait. Not really that long but longer than usual. I was nervous to post it because it is completely different than how I usually right so I wasn't putting up till I sat my sister and made her read it and she told me it was good. I know if she was lying just to be nice but whatever. I will take it she meant it so here it is.**

**There isn't a lot of dialogue in this chapter. Just the characters alone and showing what they are feeling. I am partly glad that the chapter I had was accidently deleted (stupid storm) because it actually gave me time to sit down and realize I liked how I wrote the second draft of this chapter so much better.**

**Also, I'm not sure about the James family. I know about Haley, Quinn and Taylor and they have mentioned a Vivian. I know there are three brothers but I don't know their names so I just made them up. You will see what I mean later in the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the song, the show or anything else you might think I own.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: Feel<strong>

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><p><em>Sometimes the words they don't get through<em>_  
><em>_What really speaks is what you do__  
><em>_Open up, let me inside, just wanna find you  
>-Marie Digby<em>

Jake was confused. He just watched his sister practically sprint out of the diner just to watch Lucas angrily follow.

Jake didn't know how to help her. She was breaking. She was slowly closing herself a little more everyday and it broke Jake more.

He couldn't figure out where his sister went. He wanted to think she was just grieving… maybe the pain she felt about their dad dying was because it was her real dad. It was just Jake's step dad.

But he wasn't. Richard Davis was Jake's father in every single way. He taught him how to ride a bike, how to play basketball. He taught his right from wrong, helped him with homework. He pushed him to be better and he hated he was gone.

So yes he grieved and on days it still hurt to wake up and know his dad wasn't going to be there, so he knew what Brooke was going through. But it's going on three years and she couldn't keep living life like this. Dad wouldn't want her to live life through this.

Jake wondered if it was more than that. Maybe something had happened, maybe a guy had happened. One that not even Peyton knew about. If Peyton didn't know he wondered if it was Lucas. He was angry when he left and so was Brooke.

But he couldn't see why that would make her sad or why she would hide that from Peyton. Peyton was with Jake, who was Brooke's brother and Brooke didn't get mad. Maybe they were together now they aren't anymore.

Maybe they had an awful break up and now hated each other but Brooke just misses him. Jake didn't think that was it when he got into his car to go search for Brooke.

Brooke and Lucas didn't even really speak. Jake tried to think of time when he caught them together or caught them staring at each other which could mean they did have something going on but he couldn't. They really knew nothing about each other and even if it was a secret they would at least look at each other and they didn't even do that. Nothing about them screamed relationship.

Then what was it? What had Brooke falling apart, losing weight, quitting softball, and not dressing up? Something was wrong with her.

Part of him hoped Peyton didn't know because he didn't want Peyton lying to him or keeping things from him. They had always very open to each other.

They got together soon after his dad had died. But before that, when he was hurting over his dad he did things. Things with girls, things with alcohol, things with drugs. He went through a phase where he was a guy you didn't want to know. She pulled him out of that and he told her everything. She was the only one to know everything and the fear she was keeping things from him scared him.

Jake loved Peyton and was worried. She seemed to be so tired all the time. Like she was carrying the weight on her shoulders, and he just wanted to take the load away from her. He didn't want her to think he has to hide things because he would get mad at her. Peyton would have to kill Jake if she ever wanted him to leave.

Another part of him wished she did know just so he knew Brooke wasn't going through whatever it was by herself.

He didn't know what he wanted or what was wrong with Brooke, or Peyton or why Lucas was so angry.

So he continued to drive around Tree Hill, trying to find his sister and when he couldn't find her he continued to be confused.

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><p>Brooke was frustrated. Lucas saw her hands. Lucas saw what was wrong with her. Lucas is putting the pieces together. Lucas is going to tell Jake. Jake can't know though.<p>

Brooke slammed the door shaking with anger. What the hell is wrong with him? He can't just grab people. She wanted to hit something. She wanted to fight someone. Not someone, she wanted to hit Lucas, she wanted to scream at him a little more. He would most likely fight back.

She stomped up the stairs wanting to pull out her hair not believing Lucas thought he could just waltz in and start asking fucking questions and telling her she can't take care of herself. She can take care of herself just fine. She wasn't dead, right?

She hadn't been this mad in a long time. She hadn't felt anything actually in a long time. She usually felt nothing, but this was the first emotion she had truly felt in years and part of it felt good. Part of her wanted to go find Lucas and see if he can get any other emotions out of her.

The bigger part just wanted to lock herself in her room and calm down because she didn't like it. So that was what she did. She slammed her door. Locked it and pushed a chair in front of it and started to release her anger.

The anger she felt for Lucas, for Fiona, for her father, for her mother. All the anger she had pent up inside of her finally poured out of her as she took a picture and threw it at the wall. She grabbed paper, letters, and ripped them to pieces. She grabbed a vase and threw it at the door.

"Damn it!" She yelled wanting to stop. She grabbed a book and started ripping the pages out of it. A book Fiona had given her for her birthday years ago. She hated that book. She threw the remains of the book out the window and got a new idea. She grabbed every little thing that reminded her of Fiona and threw it as hard as she could out the window not caring who saw her.

Soon a pile had formed on the lawn and her room was almost bare. She was breathing heavily and composed herself. She closed her eyes tightly before she turned to the destruction in her room and emotionlessly picked up the wreckage. She then moved the chair, unlocked the door and went downstairs and picked up the mess in the yard and tossed it into a trashcan before she climbed into her car that she rarely used and drove away. The car barely held gas and as she pulled into a gas station she grew more frustrated.

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><p>Lucas was angry. She slapped him. She reared back and fucking slapped him. She didn't care that he was just trying to help her. That was what he wanted to do for a few days now. She just wanted to help her.<p>

Maybe he shouldn't though. Was it really his place? Now that he thought about it, no it wasn't. She was her own person, and if she didn't want his help, he wouldn't give to her.

But god, he couldn't let it go. The fear in her eyes that someone might know. Her eyes would forever haunt them. Something that he has looked at many times and just saw hazel, that held such life, they looked dead now. It scared him, scared him enough to push the barrier they had set up over ten years ago and push her. He was going to make her talk to him…

Instead she slapped him.

"Fuck" He slammed his truck door and kicked his tire. It felt good, so he did it again… and again. He opened the door just to slam it again. Where was he going to go? To Brooke, no she just made him angry… angrier than he usually got.

What a fucking bitch… why couldn't she just tell someone? Than Lucas could go back to his life and forget about her instead of always trying to make she was okay. He is doing an awful job though if her hands were any indication.

He stopped beating his car and leaned his head against the door trying to calm his breathing realizing beating the shit out of his car wasn't going to do anything. He climbed back in the old truck and laid his head against the steering wheel using his arms as a pillow before starting the car and driving off and when he came to the conclusion he had nowhere to go he just got angrier.

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><p>Peyton was nervous. She had just gotten out of practice and was back home and drawing. She heard Lucas get home and heard him scream and looked out the door to see him kicking his truck and opening and slammed the door.<p>

He stopped after a few minutes before climbing back in and driving off and Peyton was nervous about where he was going. She wondered what had made him so mad knowing only one other time he had been fuming and it was one the siblings never spoke of.

Just one more stress to add to Peyton's life. She was perfectly happy with Jake and was scared she would lose him if he found out the secrets she kept from him. It was gnawing away at her and she felt so drug down from to make every one's life better that she forgot about herself.

As she watched him leave she quickly grabbed her phone and her keys as thoughts ran through her head.

The problem with Brooke was spiraling out of control. She needed to get help but she couldn't get through to Brooke.

She didn't understand how dangerous it was. She was playing with her life and soon she wouldn't have one anymore. Peyton wrote a quick note to her parents before following the path Lucas had taken. Knowing him it was best if he didn't do whatever he was doing.

Peyton was so tired of taking care of everyone else's problems. She wished someone else would just take the reins even though she does love Brooke and Lucas and Jake and everyone else but she just wanted one day where she could take care of herself.

She knew she couldn't because she would just worry. So instead she followed her brother… just like she always did and just like always... she was nervous.

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><p>Mouth was hurt. Something was wrong with all his friends.<p>

Brooke was not her usual happy self and forgot everything you told her like she was never listening.

Lucas was going down a path that would lead to pain.

Peyton looked like she would collapse from exhaustion.

Alex looked like she was punched in the stomach all day.

Jake looked defeated.

Chase seemed like he was struggling with a choice that could ruin everything.

Rachel was so caught up in her lies she was going to lose the one person she cared about.

Ian was about to pass up an amazing person for reputation.

Quinn was keeping secrets.

Clay was in pain from losing Quinn.

Skills hurt his knee.

Bevin… was being Bevin.

Nathan was pushing himself to hard.

Haley was forgetting everything because of school.

They weren't themselves. None of them and because of it they were drifting. Mouth had tried everything to stop it. He wanted them all to forget about the pain they were causing each other because he knew that they all loved each other and just needed to remember that. They needed to remember why they were all best friends.

Mouth walked down the street solemnly. They were best friends and they were losing each other. And he just wanted to help them but they were all stubborn and wanted to prove all the others that could get through all their problems by themselves.

But they couldn't… and it hurt Mouth.

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><p>Quinn was crying. She sat in her car with tears running down her face at an old park. She felt so lost without Clay. She hated this. She hated he couldn't brush away her tears and make her know he loves her.<p>

She didn't know what to do anymore. She couldn't tell them truth because he wouldn't believe her. No one could know what she knew or they would tell her she was stupid but she wasn't. She was protecting him even if no one else saw it that way.

She knew he wouldn't pick her. Who would? She was a girl with close to no money in a house full of kids that as they got older the more dysfunctional they got. She was a plain girl with a fraternal twin sister and then the list goes on of her two older sisters, her three big brothers.

Taylor was a whore as plain as day and she was proud of it. A dancer at a bar and Quinn was okay with that. Her sister still loved her and Quinn didn't care what Taylor did as long as she was happy. Vivian was on her third marriage and was probably looking for husband number four.

John her brother just a bit older than Taylor was in construction. No big corporate job, just built things. He lives by himself for the only reason being so he can bring girls home with him every night. He has no extra cash lying around because he spends on parties.

Griffin being the next boy was a stripper. Yup, a male stripper. Makes good money, proud of what he does. Likes the ladies that come to see him. He spends his days gambling away the money he made and then making it again the next night.

Harris was the most put together. He was the oldest and it showed, the only problem people had with him was that he was gay. People looked over the fact he had been with the same guy for nine years and had adopted a beautiful baby girl with that man. He was an excellent business man that people would be jealous of. Certain people don't see that though, they are judgmental and rude and just see the man that stands beside him every day.

Quinn was nothing special and she knew it. She was the girl you would date, but a guy like Clay Evans- father big time lawyer, mother, founder of a cosmetic company, Clay was an only child who already had millions from when his grandparents had passed- wasn't the guy that brings Quinn James home to meet the family.

So she let him go and now she didn't know what to do.

So Quinn did the only thing she knew how to do at that moment… she cried.

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><p>Skills was dreaming. He didn't understand what was going on anymore. Every little thing finally was coming together and he was afraid any moment he was going to wake up to find out none of it is true.<p>

Colleges were already looking at him. Someone wanted him. His dad had gotten promoted at the factory. His mom was finally healthy. Things were good, great even but it didn't stop the sinking feeling he felt thinking it was going to end.

Of course he didn't have everything.

Bevin still refused to see how Skills felt about her. Usually he would just move on but every time he did he came back to Bevin. It always came back to Bevin.

They had best friends since they were in kindergarten. Then he started to want more. He thought she did to but just never told him but still he waited and still she never said anything. It should make him angry but then he sees her and she scrunches her eyebrows at something he has said and he falls right back into her.

She has him wrapped around her finger and she doesn't see it. Which should again make him mad but then she sticks her lip out at him and pouts or laughs and once again he just drawn in.

She has a hold on him and if he was honest he doesn't want her to let go. He is completely content with being her best friend if that is what she needs him to be.

She's his best friend. He is hers. That is how it has always been. Probably how it will always will be and he is okay with that. Even if he dreams of more.

Skills realizes it's okay for him to dream a little longer.

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><p>Rachel was ashamed. She laid in a bed she had grown to know well and looked at the boy that was asleep next her. Tears brimmed her eyes and she wanted to go wash him off her.<p>

She told herself she was done. They were done. The arrangement they had was over because he broke it. Now of course at first they were with others at times but it was different now.

She cared about him, she wanted to be with him but he couldn't quit his ways. She thought he cared about her too. That was until a party happened and he ended up in Theresa's bed. He swears it didn't happen but she didn't believe him. He was a man whore; did she really think he could just stick to her?

She knew he would get bored but she cared about him anyway. She was stupid. No one can just have sex and not start to care for someone. She guessed Ian could.

He didn't even realize how much he hurt her so she lied. When everyone told her she lied and told him it was okay could she had slept with others too. She hadn't but she didn't want to look pathetic. She couldn't admit she went to Mouth and cried her eyes out.

She told herself it wouldn't happen again, but the ass cornered her as she made her way to her car. She usually could get away from but today he decided to take a chance and started to kiss all over her and she crumbled. This wasn't just sex for her, she didn't love him. She couldn't ever love him but she cared so much and the thought of not having him did hurt her and she was sick to her stomach for the fact she gave in. She didn't want to do this anymore.

She held in tears as he continued to sleep. Why couldn't she care for a guy that wanted a relationship? Why Ian? Why did she pick Ian? He was never going to want to be with her. She knew that. She hated it because he was the first guy she actually wanted to be with more than just an occasional fling. She wanted all of him. He wanted none of her. Except for what she gave today.

Rachel slowly climbed out of the bed pulling her clothes on. She needed to get out of here before he woke up. She couldn't bear to see him right now. She grabbed her wallet and keys and started out the door.

She couldn't tell him how she felt. She couldn't face the truth of him saying no. So like always she left. She told herself they were done.

And the sad part… that makes her feel more shame than sleeping with him ever will.

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><p>Clay was miserable. He had tried everything. He had followed her home. Cornered her throughout the day. Told her whatever he did he would fix it. He apologized, he questioned himself, he begged. He didn't understand what he did. They were doing fine.<p>

At least he thought they were. He went through the days leading up to the break up and he still didn't get it. She was perfect for him. She was everything he had ever wanted.

He knew she deserved better. He was selfish for wanting to hold onto her when he knew she needed more than what he could give her. He needed her though. She made him happy. She made him see the good in people when before all he saw was bad.

She made him do things he would never do. He wanted to stay in and just hold her. He wanted to give up everything just to be with her. When he was with her he forgot that he was Clay Evans. Richest guy in Tree Hill. He was just Clay, a regular guy who had the girl of his dreams.

She didn't even give him a reason. She just said she couldn't do it anymore. He hated it because he loved her. He should have told her that more. He should of held her at random times and made her smile much as possible.

She made him free and made him feel like he could be whoever he wanted to be. She made him smile when she walked into a room. His day was better just hearing her name and when he was angry all he needed was to hear the voice and he knew everything was going to be okay.

How can he just let a girl like Quinn James go? She wasn't like any other girl. She didn't care about his money. She didn't care that with him she would never have to work a day in her life. She didn't care about his past. She didn't care about his last name. She didn't care about his future in sports.

But at the same she did care only in the way it made him… him. She cared about his future in sports because she knew he loved it. She cared about his past because it made him a better man. She never cared about the money part. It made him fall for her. He just needed her back.

At the same time, if she was happier without him. If he didn't make her happy like she wanted. He knew he needed to let her go. If she didn't need him or want him he'd have to let her go because he loved her and he just wanted her happy and if that was without him, he would swallow the bitter pill.

And it made him miserable.

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><p>Alex was sick. She knew why. It was no big secret. She had made her sick from the crying. From the bitter tears she had been sobbing since she got home. Her parents questioned what was wrong but she ignored them as she quickly ran up the stairs to the bathroom thinking a shower would help.<p>

She cried out every tear she could and it made her sick to her stomach. She climbed out of the shower knowing the heat didn't help and once she went to her bedroom it hit her. She raced back to the bathroom and threw up the contents of her stomach.

She had been throwing up for a few hours now and at this point she was dry heaving. She didn't know why she was so upset. It is just the Army. Just the Army. That was a stupid thing to say. It will never be just the Army for anyone.

The boy she loves, her best friend, was going into the Army and it made her want to cry. Not because she was ashamed because that was so respectful. To serve your country. No she was proud, she was proud to say her boyfriend would be serving their country come next fall.

It would scare anyone though knowing at any point he could be gone, dead, no longer alive, and you couldn't stop it. You knew you couldn't stop it because that is how war works. People die and people get hurt and people lose limbs for what? What is the purpose? She didn't see why he had to sacrifice his life.

But did it surprise her? No, Chase had always wanted to help people. She had just always thought he would be a cop or a doctor. At least then he is still in the country. She couldn't lose him. She loved her parents, but Chase made her feel alive. Chase made her feel loved. How can she lose the one thing that makes sense in her life?

The truth is she couldn't. She can't see life without Chase Adams. He was her forever… and it made her sick.

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><p>Ian was lying. He laid in a bed pretending to be asleep and felt the clench in his chest and his stomach drop when he heard a beautiful red head sniff. He knew Rachel Gatina enough to know she was trying not to cry and he hated he made her cry… again.<p>

He always made her cry. He should give her up because he couldn't be the guy she wanted him so badly to be. He couldn't let her go though. She was addicting. He smell, her touch, her taste. Rachel Gatina was addicting and he would admit he was addicted.

He shouldn't have pushed her so much today but he needed her again. It had been too long without the fiery red head and he just wanted her. He hurt though because she was regretted it. Fuck, she regretted it. The thought of forcing her made him want to throw up but he knew Rachel. If she didn't want it she would have made it clear.

He cared about her but he didn't want to hurt her. He would hurt her if he was with her because what if he cheated on her? He couldn't accept the truth that he hurt her. It made him sick to his stomach.

They had a weird relationship. One most people wouldn't understand but they did. In the beginning he would admit, he slept with others, but now… now it was just her. He never slept with Theresa, but she slept with that fucking cousin of the Scott's so he lied. He told her he did sleep with Theresa and Theresa of course said yes. That bitch just wouldn't let it go.

Telling her that hurt him because it hurt her. He was always hurting her. So maybe he should date her, not like can really hurt her more. He could though. Giving her a commitment just to go back on it and fuck someone would hurt her and Ian couldn't do it.

So he took as much as he could get. He knew she was embarrassed and didn't want to see him so he continue to lay there… lying to everyone when he said wasn't hurt her watching her leave knowing he couldn't run for her.

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><p>Haley was in love. She always wondered when you knew. How could you tell you were in love? She had come up with many theories on true love.<p>

True love was when you forget about a reoccurring knee injury of ten years when you see your husband of fifty years fall.

True love was even after thirty years, after seeing the headstone you still believe your soul mate isn't dead. You continue to search a computer daily for him telling yourself he just joined the witness protection program.

True love is when even when not together as a couple, people will tell others they will work it out… even if the fight was over five years.

True love was when you can lose touch and find each other time and time again.

True love was when the person changes for them because they know they deserve each other.

So many reasons of true love and Haley had figured it out. Every couple that was in love had their own theory on love. Haley loved Nathan for many reasons and she had her theories on love and even though they were true, she knew her theories were thrown out the window when Nathan walked into a room. He made her smile. He made her cry. He made her laugh.

And he makes her happy. She was always happy with him even when they were fighting. Haley was in love and she wanted the whole world to know.

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><p>Chase was sorry. He knew it hurt her. She tried to hide it but he could see her eyes deflate with happiness. He actions were sluggish and all day she tried her hardest not to cry.<p>

He never wanted to cause her pain and he did and he hated it. All he wanted was to make her happy and today he knew she went home and cried.

It was understandable. She didn't want to lose him and from experience they knew people were lost in war. In this town, joining the Army was like signing a death certificate.

That was why it made her want to lock him in her room and never let him out. He had to do this though. It was the only thing that ever seemed to fit for him. Other than Alex that is.

He would miss her. It was going to hurt like hell to tell her goodbye. Just cause he was leaving Tree Hill doesn't mean he was leaving her.

He knew that was selfish though. He knew it would make her miserable waiting for him. Maybe he should let her go. Maybe he should tell her to move on and forget about him because who knew when he would be back?

She needed someone who could hold her every night and come August next year that couldn't be him. He hated it and it made him sick to think of someone ever touching Alex but she needed someone who could love her and be with her when she needed him and he couldn't be with her.

He knew he would never do it though. He knew that he would never be the one to break things off because he loved her and was selfish. He knew that he didn't have enough strength to not be with her.

And for that he was sorry.

* * *

><p>Bevin wasn't stupid. She knew what people thought of her. How is she a senior? How can she even pull a sentence together?<p>

She knew she wasn't the smartest person, but she wasn't stupid. She knew how Skills felt about her. She pretended she didn't but she was her best friend and she didn't want to lose that friendship because what if it doesn't work out? She knew it wouldn't and then she would lose Skills.

She felt something for him but not enough to give it a chance. Right now though she just wanted to have him as a friend and she knew he would be okay with it.

One day she knew she would probably date Skills but for right now she would just let every keep thinking she was stupid.

Skills knew she wasn't. He never talked to her like she a child. He never made her feel dumb because he knew she wasn't and for that, she was grateful.

She let people think of her because the people that knew her and loved her knew she wasnt stupid. Skills knows she wasn't stupid.

She was outgoing, carefree, saw the best in everyone, but she didn't care what people thought, because like she said she wasn't stupid.

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><p>Nathan was happy. He rarely frowned anymore and there was only one person responsible. Haley James. He never thought a person could make someone so happy but she had accomplished it.<p>

She had made him see the good in everyone. She made him want to shout off the rooftops how he felt about her. She walked into a room, his day was better.

Haley James didn't know that she could ruin Nathan Scott just by telling him she didn't want him. She didn't know she held his heart and that he never wanted her to give it back.

He felt bad that all his friends seemed down when he felt wonderful and full of life but he couldn't help it. Basketball laws better since he was with her. He was closer to his family. He rarely screamed at people. He no longer got into fights.

Haley James made him want to hold her all day. If she asked him to jump off a bridge he would ask which one? She was everything he held dear.

She was beautiful. Inside and out, she was modest, she was kind and she was the smartest girl he knew. What about Haley James was bad? The only think he could think of was that she didn't see it. She didn't see how much he loved and how amazing she was.

It just added to her appeal. Nathan wanted to feel bad for his friends, but at this moment in time as he started to Haley's house he felt how he had always felt with her… happy.

**So there it is. i really hoped you guys like it because i like it and i just wanted everyone to get a little insight on all the characters. Review and i will see you next chapter!**


	9. Get it Right

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**I listened to the song of the chapter while writing this. The lyrics just screamed Brooke at the moment so I advise you that it is great song and you should listen to it! It really makes me think Brooke. The chorus really showed Brooke though in this chapter so I hope you guys like it!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 8: Get it Right<strong>

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><p><em>What can you do when your good isn't good enough?<em>_  
><em>_When all that you touch tumbles down?__  
><em>_'Cause my best intentions keep making a mess of things__  
><em>_I just wanna fix it somehow  
>-Glee<em>

Brooke quietly made her way into the class she had been dreading. That one class that she sat next to Lucas in. Yesterday was the first day in a while they had actually had a conversation and as always it ended in a fight. She didn't miss it that was for sure.

She quickly slid into her seat and saw people pulling out their syllabus. She cursed under her breath as she quickly pulled hers out and forged Fiona's signature. She did it with practiced perfection and was finished in seconds when Lucas walked in with his head down. He slumped down in his seat not looking at her and Brooke sat with her back stiff as a board as she waited for the class to start.

She played nervously with the cuffs of her sweatshirt when the teacher walked in and started quickly writing on the board. She started asking questions about what the students had learned so far and Brooke would nod and shake her head when she knew it was needed. She knew much of what the teacher had questioned them on saying as she mostly would stay in and read. Literature was her favorite thing anyway.

The hour went by slowly and when the bell rang Brooke quickly jumped up with her stuff so Lucas had no chance to try in and talk to her. She wasn't even halfway down the hall before she felt someone grab her arm and pull her down a hallway that had no one down it.

"What?" She growled wanting to get to her History class on time.

"I'm sorry"

"Whatever, I don't really care. I need to go, and stop talking to me." She kept her arms crossed looking around hoping no one saw her with him. She didn't know why her anxiety level went up around him and hated people seeing him interacting with him. People would start saying things like they used to. God, she hated people sometimes.

"Why?"

"Because you never talk to me. I don't know what you are doing but please, just leave me alone"

"No" He said annoyed.

"You've had ten years to get to know me. It's too late. You're too late" She tried to get by him and he pushed her back.

"Too late for what?"

"Too late for me. You can't just come in one day wanting to get to know me, that isn't how this works"

"It's not my fault you refused-"

Brooke cut him off with a glare. "Don't. I didn't refuse anything. _You _refused. I tried to get to know you-"

"Really? You tried to get to know me? I can tell from the rushing out of the room when I walk getting to know"

"I'm not arguing you on this. I have to go, leave me alone"

She quickly shuffled away to History and Lucas leaned his head against the wall before pushing away angrily making his way to his next class.

He wondered why he ever tried to help her. She was so stubborn and would never let him know anything that he already knew. She closed herself off from everyone. He was stupid to ever think that he could ever get her to let him in. He didn't even know why he wanted to save her. He didn't know why when he hears her name his chest clenches at the thought of her being in pain. He didn't know why when he saw her hands he wanted to hold him and make her know that he will help her. He didn't know why he cared so much or why it came on so quick. He wanted it to go away, but he knew that he was in. He was in deep with Brooke Davis and even if she didn't know it, he did and he didn't think he could let her go yet.

* * *

><p>Lucas had just left school and was trying to get Brooke off his mind with basketball. He hadn't even text her today because he didn't want to know anymore. He didn't want to hear the gruesome details and he just wanted to not think about her for a few hours. Of course Ian Kellerman didn't want to help him.<p>

"You think Brooke's a virgin?" Ian asked as Lucas drove towards the River Court with Mouth in the passenger seat.

"What is your obsession with Brooke all of a sudden?" Mouth questioned as Lucas tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

"Cause she's Rachel's friend. Rachel's best friend"

"You ever realize the one girl you actually want for more than a night can't stand you?" Mouth teased and Ian groaned.

"Yes, I know. Seriously though, you think she is?" Ian leaned in his seat looking between Mouth and Lucas who both stared straight ahead.

"I don't know, man. Brooke isn't one flaunt her personal business" Lucas told him.

"Well let's ask." Ian snatched Peyton's phone from the cup holder. Peyton had left it in the car when she got home and the boys didn't even notice until Ian made the comment.

"Kellerman… you remember last time you did that?" Lucas asked angrily. It was joke the first time but now he didn't want Ian messing with Brooke.

"Calm down… I just want to know"

"She isn't" Lucas snapped and Ian got a confused a look on his face.

"How do you know?"

"She's my sister best friend. You hear things. Things you do not want to hear" Lucas cringed at the thought of the conversations Peyton's friends have.

"Then let's see how many" Lucas reached back to grab the phone but Ian was way ahead of him and slid to the far side of the car where Lucas couldn't reach him.

"Ian, just leave her alone" Lucas snapped.

"I just want to know. She will never find out"

'_You know how many Peyt' _Ian looked stumped at the phone not telling the two in the front the answer so he text back quickly.

'_But I thought…' _Ian was proud of himself. He could an answer out of that.

"Ian, please. Leave her alone" Lucas angrily begged.

Ian ignored Lucas looking at the phone surprised. "Wow…" Ian had respect for Brooke Davis in that moment.

"What?" Lucas asked nervously.

"One" Ian said looking up from the phone. "Just one"

"Wait… one?" Mouth asked.

"Yeah. Who do you think it was? You think it was one of the guys? It's not Nathan because of Haley. Sure as hell isn't me. Clay, no, Chase, no, Mouth?" He looked at Mouth who shook his head. He only looked at Brooke Davis as a little sister, "Skills, no, Lucas, no… well I don't know Luke. You're the only one that doesn't really do girlfriends…so?" Ian looked up at his friend who wouldn't answer.

"It's not me" Lucas said and Mouth cut his eyes over at him wondering why he was so annoyed at the conversation.

"Really? Cause you two totally have that sexual tension, take me on the counter, thing going on. Then again… you guys have been that way since we were like ten" Ian informed cringing.

"We never even speak. How the hell would you ever think that?" Lucas asked trying to not get annoyed. "You weren't even here when we ten" He added as an afterthought.

"Exactly! There is a reason you guys never speak. I wasn't here but Mouth was. Mouth, don't you agree with me?" Ian tapped Mouth.

"I'm not getting into this" Mouth mumbled.

"We are going to say you agree. Lucas, I would not get into that with her" Ian told him honestly.

"What?" Lucas looked in his rearview mirror as he pulled in.

"Brooke Davis, is a scary girl. She doesn't seem to care for most, especially you. She also seems to have some baggage, I wouldn't even try." Ian shrugged jumping out of the car and Lucas looked at the steering wheel.

"You like her don't you?" Mouth asked.

"Seems kind of elementary… liking someone." Lucas told him wishing everyone would leave him alone with the whole Brooke thing.

"So are you elementary?"

Lucas paused before answering. Thinking about the raven haired beauty. "No, man. Brooke Davis doesn't do it for me"

Mouth shook his head getting out of the car leaving Lucas to his thoughts. He grabbed the phone looking at the text before responding. _'Good to know, so how was your day?'_

Maybe he was okay with talking to her a little bit longer.

* * *

><p>"Brooke? Are you even listening?" Fiona asked with a super villain tone.<p>

"Yes" Brooke said as she pushed the eggs around in a pan.

"Obviously you aren't. You are still eating that disgusting junk you call food. I'm telling you Brooklyn every day, you don't want to be eating all that grease. No daughter of mine will be overweight and I'm-"

"I'm not you daughter" Brooke whispered knowing Fiona didn't hear her as she continued to degrade Brooke.

"To be honest, you could lose a few pounds. Then again you'd never know since you simply wear bags as clothes" Fiona pulled on her jacket flipping her bleached hair off her shoulder, "I'm going out, don't wait up and don't eat anymore junk food"

Once she heard the door close she looked down at the burning food in the pan. She took a deep breath, tossed it in the trash and cleaned up her mess before picking up her book and laying in the living room.

Soon Jake came in telling her that he was going to be staying at Clays because Clay had been a mess since the break up and he needed some guy time. Brooke forced a smile as she watched his retreating back. Fiona was always sober enough to not to do it when Jake was home. Brooke braced herself for the night she knew was coming.

* * *

><p>She came in at one. Brooke had fallen asleep on the couch and was awoken from the shouts Fiona was making. "What the hell is this?"<p>

Brooke lifted her head slowly still tired and her eyes grew wide at the sight of Fiona. She looked at what Fiona was so angry about to see that the stove was messy from when Brooke had cooked earlier. She cursed under her breath. Fiona became an OCD bitch when she drank and would find the smallest things Brooke did wrong just so she had a reason to scream at Brooke a little more.

"I'm sorry, Fiona" Brooke sighed going to clean the stove when Fiona pulled her back with death grip on her arm. Brooke yelped from the unexpected pain. She happened to grab the spot where Fiona's shoe had dug deep into Brooke's skin.

"It's too late now, _Brooklyn_" She said Brooke's name as though it held some disease. As saying it the world would end. If you were asking Alex, she would say she said like you were speaking of _He-Who-Must_-_Not-Be-Named_, a villain who disgusts everyone.

Brooke felt empty when Fiona threw her against the table. Brooke didn't understand why she was given this pain. She didn't understand why Fiona hated her so much. It wasn't like Brooke was an awful step daughter. She has been part of Fiona's family pretty much her whole life. She didn't understand why everything had to change.

"I never liked your name. That slut of a mother thought it was perfect for you. _Victoria _thought you were so perfect. _Victoria _had the perfect life" She spoke Brooke's mothers name much like she did with Brooke. With every sentence she threw Brooke into something. Every time she said Victoria she pulled Brooke's hair and punched her in the stomach.

Fiona had never mentioned Brooke's mother. It was something unspoken to the family. "_Victoria _was prom queen" another punch, "_Victoria _was dating Sheriff's son." Another pull, "_Victoria _was smart" She was pushing Brooke towards the stove, "_Victoria _wasbeautiful" another push, "_Victoria _had Richard" Brooke put her hands on the stove to brace herself and came in touch with a scorching heat radiating through her hand. Fiona must have turned the stove on without Brooke knowing. Brooke pulled away as quickly as could trying not to scream at the pain and fell to the ground. Fiona stepped on Brooke's burnt hand causing Brooke to bite her lips. Screaming gave Fiona satisfaction. She wasn't going to give Fiona satisfaction.

Fiona spit on Brooke's face. "Then again, in the end _Victoria _got what she deserved. And I got Richard. So I win. And she left me you. A pure copy of her, now I can take all the hate I felt for her on you. Damn, that feels good"

Fiona stumbled to her room leaving a battered Brooke behind. Brook cradled her hand and went to the sink. She turned on the water and put her hand under it. She took a towel and put in her mouth to bite down when the pain got bad.

It made sense now. The reasons for being hated. She hated Victoria. Brooke's amazing mother who died way too young. Brooke was young, only five when Victoria died of cancer. Brooke didn't remember much of her but she remembered enough. Her mother _was _beautiful, he mother _was _kind. Her mother _was _everything Fiona _isn't. _And when Fiona was drunk that was all she saw, Victoria. Victoria having everything Fiona always wanted. At that moment Brooke wanted her mom more than she ever had; her mother would protect her from this vile woman. Brooke knew that if wishing her parents were alive she would be losing everyone else. She would lose Jake, she would lose all her friends because the only reason they moved here was because Fiona and her dad got married.

She was torn. She didn't know what she wanted. Did she want her parents? Or did she want her family? Those two things now were completely different. As Brooke cleaned her burns, put medicine on it and wrapped it tightly with a bandage, she knew she couldn't live without the people she called family. As awful as it sounded she could live without her parents, she had done it for a while now.

She couldn't wake up every morning knowing Jake wouldn't be there telling her breakfast was ready.

She couldn't go to school knowing Peyton's locker wouldn't be beside hers anymore.

She couldn't be excited about all things Harry Potter knowing she wouldn't be able to tell Alex.

She couldn't watch baseball and sadly not think of Ian Kellerman not being able to accomplish his dream.

She couldn't see a camera and not think of Quinn not going cross country with her talent.

She couldn't see a basketball without thinking how she'd never see her favorite boys never play, or never get to see Nathan go pro.

She can't wake up knowing that she wasn't going to have Bevin calling her telling her about her day with Skills.

She couldn't see red without thinking of her favorite auburn haired best friend, Rachel and never fighting with her anymore.

She couldn't watch ESPN because she would be upset Clay wasn't a sports caster or an agent.

She couldn't watch the news without missing Mouth.

She couldn't watch a valedictorian speech because she would only think Haley deserved it more.

She couldn't see an airplane without thinking how she would never hear Chase rambling about all the types of makes.

And even though she would never admit it anyone, she knew deep down she couldn't take walking into Literature class knowing Lucas Scott wasn't going to be behind her.

It was then she realized it. She couldn't get through Fiona without the thought of having her family picking her up. She realized that she would get through this. She realized she can't do anything without her family. She realized she had a family. One that loved her and didn't care if she was a complete mess. She realized she was stronger than Fiona.

She had already lost one family, and she could get through a few more nights with Fiona because she refused to have this one taken away from her.

**So you get a little more insight on Fiona. Her name is so fairy tale evil. Alrighty, in this chapter we had more Brucas, more beating, more Ian starting things. He really needs to stop that. **

**Mouth as always is the voice of reason… I lub him.**

**I will be going on vacation next week and so I will try my vary hardest to get a chapter up before I leave!**

**Okay, so review and let me know what you think!... I am not forcing you though because that is bad and Loo don't do that. Okay now I'm done. Review if you want to… it is just a suggestion no commanding or forcing. **


	10. Alyssa Lies

**Disclaimer: I don't anything.**

**I have seen Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part two twice already so I am in a fantastic mood! That is probably why I wrote this in one night, I was just excited about life!**

**This song is probably the best song to describe Brooke Davis in this story. The song is very sad but the chorus describes Brooke very well.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9: Alyssa Lies<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Because Alyssa lies to the classroom,<em>_  
><em>_Alyssa lies everyday at school,__  
><em>_Alyssa lies to the teachers__  
><em>_as she tries to cover every bruise  
>-Jason Michael Carroll<em>

Brooke didn't sleep much that night. The pain in her hand was too much. Fiona had burned her before, but something about her hand, it was throbbing. She couldn't do anything about it though. Tree Hill is a small town; going to hospital would instantly start rumors.

So she ignored it… the best she could. When Jake came in that morning Brooke instantly told him knowing he wouldn't question her that way, "Oh my god, Jake. It was awful. I was cooking my dinner last night and I forgot about the stove being on and I reached up to grab something and when I did my hand went straight to the stove. It was horrible" She said with a fake cheeriness.

"Do you need to get it checked?" He asked with concern.

"Oh no, you know me. I'm good with these kinds of things. I have to be if I ever want to make it in the medical field" She skipped up the stairs and when she made it to her room, she dropped the smile. It was tiring pretending all the time.

She needed to get ready for school. Not like that took too much time. She pulled on a pair of baggy jeans that at one point probably fit her once then curvy body. She slipped a sweatshirt over her head and kept her hair down to cover anything that might have happened last night.

She came back downstairs remembering to smile and met up with Jake. "I'm going to take my car today" She told him and he nodded in surprise going to his car. Brooke rarely drove. She didn't like it for many reasons so of course Jake found it weird she wanted to take the car.

Jake didn't push the issue as he pulled out first and drove off to school. Brooke didn't know why she was driving. She didn't know why she didn't want to be in a confined space with Jake for the time being. It was her brother, but now being around him held an awkward tension in the air because she never wanted to talk and would just sit there stiffly.

She really wanted to be alone so she drove the speed limit stopped at yellow lights when she could have made it and when pulling she waited when a car was coming even if three cars could have gone while she was waiting. She wanted to stall the day as long as she could. She didn't want to start the day and definitely didn't want to go to first period where he hand story wouldn't be taken as an excuse.

She walked slowly to her locker and kept her head in when she saw Peyton stroll up beside her and open her own locker. Peyton didn't speak to her, but when Brooke went to close the locker she saw the bandage.

"B… what happened to your hand?" Peyton didn't know why she asked. She didn't want to know.

"Last night, I was making dinner and when I went to grab something in the cabinet, I might have placed my hand on the stove" Brooke laughed falsely hoping Peyton wouldn't question it.

"Really?" Peyton crossed her arms leaning against the locker and Brooke nodded.

"Yeah, stupid move on my part, I know" Brooke quickly started towards her first period wishing she could just get sick or something so she wouldn't have to go through the day.

Peyton frowned when Lucas walked up. "What's wrong with you?"

"Brooke lied to me" Peyton looked over at her brother who jaw had clenched.

"Brooke lies to everyone" Lucas shrugged.

"Not me. Brooke doesn't lie to me. She tells me everything. I'm her best friend" Peyton tried to tell him and Lucas shook his head.

"No offense Peyt, but Brooke lies to _everyone_. She doesn't take into account you're her best friend. Brooke only cares about herself"

"You're not allowed to say that about her" Peyton snapped.

"Why not?" Lucas was getting angry.

"You don't know Brooke. You aren't Brooke's friend. Let's not forget who made that clear" She told him and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Why does everyone have to make sure I know that? I know"

"Obviously you don't. You don't know _my _friend. She isn't yours. Don't you remember Lucas, when she-"

"Whatever" Lucas cut her off starting to walk away.

"What? You taking back what you said? You forget I was there and you can't take it back. You're right Brooke lies to everyone… but she does not only care about herself. You, on the other hand… well if you still believe what you believe then I guess we all know who you care about" Peyton was so angry. He didn't know shit about anyone and he sat there all high and mighty like he knows what's best. He doesn't though, and he needs to know that.

She angrily made her way to first period. She slumped down in her normal seat next to Jake who kissed the side of her head. "You okay?"

She felt relaxed. Her anger was near gone when he smiled at her. "Yeah, I am now"

He nodded looking back at his book and she smiled at him. He always made everything better. She pulled out her homework from the night before and Lucas walked in not looking at his sister as he took his seat.

"How many days till summer?" Lucas asked Skills who laughed with a shake of the head.

"I don't know, man, but I wish it was soon" Skills leaned back in his seat closing his eyes.

Lucas sat resting his chin on his hands. He was always angry, ever since that stupid text. Why'd he even open it? He could have just given the phone to Peyton, told her what happened and never worry about it, but no. He had to help her. He had to text her and check up on her. Then he had to go and try to talk to her and piss her off. He just needed to stop with the whole hero shit, it gets you nowhere.

Brooke calmly sat next to Mouth reading a book not understanding the point of this class. It was utterly useless. She wished it would go by faster. It was so awkward sitting in this class because of the friends that surrounded her. When there was ten minutes left in the class she started to feel it. This pain in her stomach that she gasped silently at it.

It was like she was about to start her period, it was something different. It slowly subsided and she breathed in a sigh of relief only to feel it again. It was in her lower stomach, it felt like a fist had grabbed her abdomen and squeezed. She clenched the side of her book tightly. She could deal with this, if she could deal with the nightly beatings from Fiona she could deal with a little pain in her stomach.

It once again slowly drifted away and she closed her eyes and tried to breathe calmly. No one had noticed the difference in the brunette. Who could? She didn't seem any different than any other time. She was sitting just as rigid and stiff as usual. The difference was in her hands. They were the only relaxed thing about her, she kept her hands loose because she always was twirling her fingers. Only someone who was intently looking at her would notice the way her knuckles had gone white around the book she held. The way they were release for only a short time before silently taking hold of the book like it was a life saver. You would have to be looking at her hands.

Lucas Scott knew there was something wrong. It wasn't the fact there was a white bandage wrapped around her hand. It was the way she held the book, it was the way she would dip her head down and then bring it slowly back up. When the bell rang she didn't jump up quickly like usual. She packed her book slowly and pulled herself out of the chair.

Everyone was out of the room and she had stood up before bracing herself on the desk. "Shit" She whispered in pain staying hunched over as she started out the door and Lucas looked at her concerned.

"Brooke?" He walked over to her slowly when she stopped at the hallway where they had had their fight just a day before.

"Hmm?"

"You okay?" He asked hesitantly.

"Oh yeah, you know… just-" She felt that pain again. She held her side and clasped her other hand tightly on Lucas' shoulder.

"what's wrong?" He asked.

"I'm guessing stress" She said honestly.

"What are you stressed about?" He sighed knowing it was the wrong thing to ask. She was about to throw up her wall.

"Just school and-" Her voice was lost in her laying her head against the wall and tightening the grip on Lucas.

"You want me to take you to the nurse?"

"No!" She yelped out quickly and he looked at he with a questionly look. "It's just… I don't need to go to the nurse. I will just go home"

The truth was with the bruises on her stomach, she couldn't let the nurse examine her. There was nothing wrong with her, she was just stressed.

The bell rang indicating the students of Tree Hill had a minute before they were tardy but Lucas didn't move. "Brooke, you cant drive"

"Well, I cant sit in class or I wont get anything done" She snapped at him. He looked around trying to think what to do before he felt the grip on him once again tighten and he grimace in pain.

He wondered if it really was stress. It crossed his mind that Fiona could have done something to her internally but he knew he wouldn't be able to ever suspect it. Him asking that would be like saying that he had been texting her. He couldn't do that. "Ill drive you home"

"What about my car?" She sighed in relief when the pain disappeared.

"Ill work it out. You cant be here Brooke. Let me take you home and then I will take Jake at lunch and we will get your car home, I promise" He persuaded and she nodded walking towards the exit leaning on him. It should be awakward, walking towards Lucas Scott's car using him as a crutch. It wasn't though, maybe because of the circumstance. The fact she just wanted to lay down and shut out from the world. It was what she wanted earlier. She partly thankful for the pain.

He helped her into the car not knowing what he was doing. There goes not being the hero plan. The second she needed help he jumped in as s knight in shining armor. He wanted to hit himself, he said don't help her, but here he was feeling sick at the thought that fucking monster of a woman might have permanently fucked something up in her. He walked quickly to the other side and was out of the parking lot in record time.

"Why are you helping me?" She asked as laid her head against the window.

"Because I don't know what Peyton would do without you" He shrugged. He didn't know why he was helping her.

"I don't know what I would do without her either" She sighed.

"She thinks your lying to her" He told her and she glanced at him nervously.

"About what?" She asked and he once again shrugged.

"She wont tell me. This morning when you left she just said you were lying to her"

"What did you say?"

"That you lie to everyone" He told her with a sideways glance.

She nodded in agreement, "That I do"

"It's kind of your thing, huh?"

"Only if your thing is being an ass" She responded and he frowned.

"You also like to hold grudges" He grumbled and she winced in pain before answering.

"Wouldn't you?" She asked crossing her arms.

"No, not when the person had a good reason" He pulled into her driveway.

"You're reasons always suck" She her breathing was heavy. She was having the pain again. Lucas got out of the truck and rounded the front to help her out. She grabbed his arm and slowly stepped on to the ground.

"My reasoning was valid" He tried to argue.

"We were seven, you ass" She groaned stepping onto the front porch and pulling her key out of her bag.

"I guess I owe you an apology" He sighed in defeat when she stepped into the house.

"Just one?" She mumbled.

"I'm sorry, okay?"

"For what?" She asked when he followed her because he noticing closing her eyes so he reached out for her.

"Everything" he admitted and she nodded. He walked her to her room and helped her into bed.

"Apology accepted"

"Things probably would have been different huh?" He asked sadly.

She shook her head. "Probably not. You have been ass since seven. Even if you didn't say anything, something at some point would have happened" She curled into a ball keeping her eyes slightly open.

"Do you really hate me that much?" He asked slightly disappointed.

"Honestly, you've never given me a reason to hate you" She told him honestly.

"Right…" He accepted it as a chance. He started to the door when he turned to her, "So, why aren't we friends?"

"You never gave me a reason to like you either" She rolled over away from him and he took that as his time to leave. He really needs to stop trying to help her. It just makes him end up disappointed.

**Okay, I'm leaving tomorrow so I decided to post this. It is short, but you know just a little Brucas interaction. I hope you all like it and I will post when I get back.**

**School starts only eight days after I get back and with sports I might not post as often. I will try my best though,**

**Review if you'd like!**


	11. Concrete Angel

**Sorry, it's been so long. So this chapter is short but drama packed with lots of fighting.**

**It's late I'm tired so there might be a few mistakes but I really just wanted to get it up because there is some major Brucas as the end.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10: Concrete Angel<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Through the wind and the rain<em>_  
><em>_She stands hard as a stone__  
><em>_In a world that she can't rise above__  
><em>_But her dreams give her wings__  
><em>_And she flies to a place where she's loved__  
><em>_Concrete angel__  
>-Martina McBride<br>__**  
><strong>_

"Hey. Lucas told me you were sick" Peyton dropped her bag at Brooke's door before stepping in.

Brooke lay curled in a ball wishing everyone would just leave her alone.

"Yeah" She mumbled.

"Weird that it was Lucas" Peyton informed sitting on the bed and feeling Brooke's forehead in a motherly manner.

"He just happened to be the one behind me when I fell into a wall" Brooke muttered.

"That's all?" Peyton questioned.

"What else would it be Peyton?"

"Old feelings resurfacing"

Brooke groaned sitting up in the bed angrily.

"To resurface there would have to be feelings in the first place. I'm not the one that date's best friend's brothers. That's your job"

"When has that ever bothered you?" Peyton asked with sudden confusion.

"When you seem to think because it happened to you it's gonna happen to everyone. Stop living in your fairytale"

"What is wrong with you?"

"The fact Lucas didn't help me because he just happened to behind me. He was the only that noticed there was a problem"

Peyton rolled her eyes.

"So what is that supposed to mean? He isn't too good with details, right? He would've noticed a few of others things, don't you think?"

"Shut up Peyton. Don't use that against me"

Peyton was furious with the brunette.

"Have you had one too many kicks to the head Brooke?" Tears pooled in Peyton's eyes. She didn't understand how her best friend couldn't see it.

"Don't be stupid"

"What about you? You're a dumbass if you think this pain your feeling is stress. It wouldn't surprise if she hit something and seriously injured you. Don't you get it, Brooke? She will kill you." Peyton yelled at her.

"No she wont. Who would she hurt then?"

"She'd find someone. Brooke you aren't invincible. It wouldn't bother her if you are gone. Don't you see _we _love you? _We _need you. In your mind you think you are doing the right thing… you think you're a hero. Heroes die Brooke. Look at your dad"

"Don't bring up my dad" Brooke said with disinterest.

"You know I never thought I would say this to you, but I'm done. I'm done covering up for you. I'm done cleaning up Fiona's messes. I'm done with _you _Brooke. She is ruining your life and because of it you are ruining mine so I'm done. I can't do it anymore. Go find someone else to cover up your murder, because you aren't my best friend."

Brooke was shocked. She never thought Peyton could get so angry.

"You are not Brooke Davis. You are a cold human being without a heart. You are shell of the amazing girl you once were. Brooke Davis died the day they knocked on her door. So stop pretending that we don't care. That you don't care. Stop acting fake and cheerful because even though you say poor me, no one sees the truth. We do, we see you are hurting. I see it. Don't pretend to be my best friend. Because you aren't. You ruined Brooke Davis" Peyton ended with bitter tears running down her face before grabbing her bag and leaving.

Brooke didn't lose her façade. She continued to sit there, as though she didn't hear anything Peyton just said.

* * *

><p>"What's up man?" Clay asked as he shot hoops with Lucas.<p>

"I was just worrying about Brooke, you know?" He shrugged.

"Yeah. She has been different. I hope everything is okay at home, you know? I mean Jake isn't really there anymore so maybe she just doesn't get along with Fiona that well."

Lucas couldn't help but think that was the understatement of the year.

"Yeah, maybe."

"Not like you can really check on her, huh?" Clay asked with sympathy.

"What do you mean?"

Clay shook his head at the blonde before taking a free throw.

"It's obvious you and Brooke aren't really friends. You can't just text her out of the blue. It doesn't work like that" Clay shrugged not knowing it would anger Lucas.

"Why does everyone feel the need to remind me that she hates me?"

"Because you completely screwed her over" Clay told him bluntly.

"I didn't screw her over. It was a mutual decision"

"Yeah, does that get you through the conversations you actually have with her?"

"Whatever" Lucas tossed the ball away and left the court and Clay alone.

* * *

><p>She sat outside a metal fenced batting cage. It was where she met her best friends. It was where she met the Scotts. It was where she played softball.<p>

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" Brooke looked up to see Lucas walking towards her.

"Peyton and I got into a fight" She said as she picked at the grass.

"Oh" he nodded as he slumped down next to her.

"You?" She looked over at him.

"Clay"

She nodded much like he did before returning back to the grass.

"How's your stomach?"

"Better. Like I said stress"

"Yeah, it was just stress" Lucas mumbled under his breath.

"What?"

"What's wrong with you?" He questioned. The meaning behind his question was more he didn't understand how she can act so natural about getting the shit beaten out of her. She took it as what was wrong with her in that moment.

"Uh… I'm fine. What makes you ask?" She replied, her brick walls shooting up around her. Lucas rethought that. They weren't brick walls. They were brick walls with infrared lasers, a mote, guards, and maybe a fucking dragon guarding her emotions. That is if she had any.

"Just seems there is something wrong with you" Lucas shrugged annoyed and Brooke rolled her eyes.

"And you want to… save me? Be my knight in shining armor?" She teased him with a small humorless laugh.

"Like you would let me" he said under his breath.

"Excuse me?"

"I just asked if you needed saving" He mumbled.

"Not from you… never from you."

Lucas stood up so he towered over her. "So you admit you need saving"

"No Lucas. Don't twist my words around" She groaned.

"You hate it don't you?" He smirked.

"I hate what?"

"My family. We are pretty perfect. Money, love, good looks"

"Arrogance?" She suggested and he rolled his eyes.

"You hate that you have no family" He said harshly wanting her to show emotion. He groaned when she shrugged.

Okay, time for the direct approach. "Get up"

"Go to hell"

"Get up, Brooke" He said strongly.

"Are you serious?" She said through a dry laugh.

"Brooke, get up or I will pick you up" He growled and she muttered under her breath as she stood up placing her hands on her hips.

"Happy"

"Take your shirt off"

"In your dreams"

"Like I want to touch you"

"Not like it hasn't stopped you before" She smirked at him.

"Take- off- your-shirt" He said in a dangerous tone.

Brooke rolled her eyes at him.

Lucas glared at her.

Brooke was nervous.

Lucas was furious. He was tired of acting like he didn't know.

"We're at a ball park Lucas, I'm not-" She was cut off by him throwing her over his shoulder. She started to slam her hands down on his back.

"Put me down Lucas Eugene Scott! I will beat your ass"

"Like you have enough strength" He mumbled carrying her to the bathroom and putting her down not caring about gentle.

"Take it off" He commanded and she crossed her arms tight over her chest.

"No"

"Fine" He grabbed the hem of her shirt roughly and started to pull it up as she struggled to keep it down.

"Lucas, stop!" She yelled loudly and he didn't pay attention.

She was fighting a losing battle. He was stronger.

Soon he got the shirt off and he felt sick to his stomach. Hearing it, talking about it, hell picturing it was one thing. Seeing it in full view was something entirely different.

Brooke stared ashamed at the floor as he swallowed hard staring at her battered body.

Scars from burns, faded bruises, scrapes ran down her collar bone, cuts gashed on her abdomen. He reached out at the worst one. A bruise that was almost black and covered half her stomach. He carefully turned her around to see knots on her back from blows to the back. Cuts ran down her spine that looked liked things had been broken on to her. The scar on her lower back that she got from the 'straightener,' her arms had hand shaped bruised from where Fiona had held her as tight as she could. The scar on her forearm that looked to be made from a shoe. He pulled at the bandage on her hand to see a blistering burn that he couldn't even stomach the thought of where it came from. He spun her back to face him and stared into her empty eyes.

He didn't know what to say. He grabbed her shirt and pulled it back over her head. He couldn't look at the scars. Some of those scars were years old which only meant one thing and it made him hate himself.

"How did I not notice?" He whispered and she looked up at him startled.

"It was dark" She hugged her body and looked back down at the ground as he pushed her against the wall.

"It doesn't matter Brooke. How did I notice that?"

"We were drunk" She mumbled.

"That doesn't fucking make it right!" He yelled and she flinched away, "I don't care if we were fucking drunk! We weren't drunk enough for me not to realize that your naked body was covered in bruises!" He wasn't yelling at her. He was yelling at himself.

"Most people don't notice. My own brother doesn't notice" She shook her head wishing he would leave.

"I should have seen it. I should have seen -" He placed his hands over his face.

He was so angry. He couldn't get why she was doing this.

"We aren't friends Lucas. How-"

"It doesn't matter if we aren't friends Brooke! I slept with you. I have seen you with nothing on and I didn't notice. I could have helped you"

"I don't want your help or your pity"

"I'm not giving you pity! I'm giving you concern!" He grabbed onto her shoulders staring into her pretty dark hazel eyes.

"I don't want that either" She snapped.

"Stop playing the martyr. Stop acting like this is your life!"

"This is my life! IT doesn't get better than this! I don't get passed this point! Everyone needs to accept that!" She yelled pushing him away and he pulled her back.

"No!" He shouted.

"Why not?"

"Because this isn't your life. Don't give up! She doesn't own you! You're not even hers! She has no tie to you! Why are you doing this?"

"Because I deserve it!" She yelled as loud as anyone could possibly scream, "She blames me for him! She's right he left to get away from me. Everyone leaves to get away from me" she sighed.

"His death is not your fault. He was a hero. He fought for the whole country and he loved you so don't listen to her! She has you brainwashed to think this is normal but it isn't! Where is the Brooke Davis that laughed at commercials that weren't funny? Where is the Brooke Davis who wouldn't give me the time of day? Where is she?"

"She's gone"

"No, she isn't! Fiona may have beaten that into you but you are still here! You are still living and you still have a chance just tell the truth!"

She shook her head frantically trying to push passed him.

"Don't let her do this! Don't make her beat you! You love competitions! Beat this one! Beat her! Please Brooke, please don't do this" He begged and she shook her head again.

"Let me go, Lucas"

"No" He said stubbornly.

"You can't say anything to change my mind. I'm not going to tell. You're not going to tell because if you do, I'll lie"

"How can you lie about the scars?"

"I fall"

"You fall and they make handprints? No one will believe you" He advised and she pushed by him hardly.

"No one will notice anyway"

As he watched her walk out of the bathroom he realized he cared for her. He knew nothing about her but he cared more about her than anyone else. He cared enough to want to hold her and keep her away from the awful house she lived in. He wanted to kiss her and tell her it was going to be okay. He wanted to hold her so she would realize he wasn't going anywhere.

He needed her from crazy reason. He didn't know her and like everyone said they weren't friends. He didn't want to be friends with her because everyone was right. He could never be friends with Brooke Davis. It was why he _did _keep distance all these years. Subconsciously, he knew that being near her, getting to know her, watching her smile would make him fall for her. It took to watch her cringe in pain and seeing her battered body to realize this. He should've have known sooner. He could have protected her. He wanted to protect her. He needed to protect her.

**Again sorry for the wait! Review if you want...**


	12. Numb

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**I actually the H320 Dub Step remix version more than the Linkin Park version of this song. It's really good and you readers should listen to it sometime!**

**Some props to alwaysbutneverright for helping me in the end! Gracias John!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11: Numb<strong>

* * *

><p><em>I've become so numb I can't feel you there<em>  
><em>Become so tired so much more aware<em>  
><em>I'm becoming this all I want to do<em>  
><em>Is be more like me and be less like you<br>- H320 (Dub Step Remix)_

"Shit" Brooke slammed the door shut as we came into the house late at night. She had been avoiding the house all day. Jake wouldn't be home till late… real late.

It was eleven and Brooke looked around the house for Fiona. She found her standing in the kitchen and Brooke tried to make it up the stairs when she felt her arm being pulled painfully in the other direction and she tripped down the stairs. She braced herself with her hands and let out a groan while Fiona grabbed her by the hair.

"Where have you been?" Fiona spat.

"Out"

Fiona shoved her against the wall and pushed her arm into Brooke's throat. Brooke stayed limp knowing that fighting just made it worse. If she didn't fight it, Fiona wouldn't tighten the grip.

"You're curfew is nine" Fiona hissed.

"It won't happen again" Brooke sputtered taking sharp breaths.

Fiona dropped her arms and Brooke fell to the ground coughing, thankful for the fresh air that was filling her lungs.

"You better hope it doesn't" Fiona kicked her a few times in the stomach and Brooke curled into a fetal position, letting the toe of Fiona's heel beat into her wrist instead of her stomach.

Soon she felt spit roll down her face and she knew it was done. She lied there a few minutes after Fiona had stumbled to bed before she pulled herself up and climbed the stairs to the bedroom.

She was coughing sporadically to the point that it made her sick. She limped to the bathroom and threw up the contents of the day and started to dry heave. After there was nothing left in her stomach, she crawled into the bed and tried to get a little sleep before she had start the horrible day all over again.

* * *

><p>The next day the group all sat in their first period but one brunette had yet to be seen. Lucas stared at the door as the bell rang and his leg jumped in anticipation.<p>

He started to get nervous when Jake walked in but Brooke didn't trail behind. Nobody questioned her absence, but it bothered him because they had fought yesterday and he knew she didn't go home till late, and by the time the bell rang to end class he was out of his seat and heading towards the parking lot.

"Luke, where are you going?" Nathan called after his brother.

"Don't worry about it, I'll be back."

"We got a game today," Clay told him but Lucas waved him off.

"I'll be back," he repeated quickly, exiting the school and getting in his car.

He made the quick drive to Brooke's house and jumped out of the car. He walked up the steps and knocked on the door, but she didn't answer. He turned the knob to find it unlocked, and he then went to her room to find her sleeping.

"Brooke," he whispered through the room and he watched her turn in the bed.

He walked over and shook her softly and she slowly started to open her eyes.

"Lucas?" She mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"I just wanted to check on you."

"Oh… what time is it?"

"Nine thirty"

She nodded sitting up in the bed running her hand through her hair, making Lucas notice her arm. He tentatively grabbed it and noticed the bruises forming on it.

"Are you okay?" He asked and she nodded.

"Yeah, it is sore, but I'll be okay." She shrugged.

"Does it happen every night?"

She nodded, looking to the side ashamed. Lucas watched her skittish movements. She didn't look him in the eye; she stayed rigid and never showed any emotion.

"Talk to me." He said and she looked up confused.

"Why?" She asked emotionlessly.

"Because I feel like I should know more about you. So tell me everything."

"I didn't quit softball because my dad died," she started off.

"I figured."

"You remember when my arm broke?" She asked and he nodded. "I didn't fall over the chair… she pushed me."

Lucas swallowed hard before nodding for her to continue.

"Umm… the week I missed sophomore year? I uh… didn't have the flu. She had broken a rib and I couldn't really move but I didn't go to the doctor so… yeah. The burn on my hand was when I put it on the stove trying to get away from her. This one…," She pulled up the sleeve of her shirt to show a scar looking like she had scalding water poured on her, "is from when she got mad once freshman year and threw the oil she cooking with on me. That one probably hurt the most."

Lucas stared in disbelief. She said it so calmly. It made his chest clench that this was normal behavior to her.

She looked over her arms for something else to show him. She showed an inch long scar, "This was one is from a few months ago. I got it from her throwing a plate that I had broken at me."

He wanted her to stop. He needed her stop. He couldn't hear it anymore, so he pulled her in for a tight embrace. At first she went tense, and for the first time he had ever seen, she relaxed and slowly wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his chest.

It should've been uncomfortable. Here she sat hugging Lucas, but it wasn't. It wasn't uncomfortable she felt… safe. And in her life, that meant a lot.

"Can I tell you something?" She asked softly and he nodded.

"I'm so tired. I can't do it anymore. I feel like it would just be easier for everyone if she just finished me off." She sighed and Lucas shook his head.

"No."

"No, what?"

"No, you can't think like that. I mean Brooke, life would suck without you."

"You haven't spoken to me… really spoken to me ever… unless you count that one week, but you don't so…"

"I know. I know we aren't friends. Trust me, I know. The idea, though, of never seeing you, or hearing your voice…" He held her face, "Or seeing these eyes. Life would be boring without you. I didn't see that before, but it's true. I would hate not knowing you."

"Why? Look at me Lucas… I'm battered and bruised and disgusting. Who would miss me?"

"Me. I would. I would miss you and our fights, and everything about you. I would miss you."

He grasped her face but she didn't look at him. She always felt unworthy around him. She felt unworthy around everyone, but more him, and even now she wasn't really sure why.

"Lucas, what's the point anymore?"

He pulled her in for another embrace. He wanted her to stop talking like this. It scared him.

"Not like anyone would notice I'm gone. I mean, no one notices anything about me now." He pushed her away gently to look at her.

"You're birthday is March 12. You hate the color pink. You love lasagna. You hate Christmas. You hate all holidays but Thanksgiving. You love The Beatles. Your favorite is Paul McCartney. Your favorite movie is _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. _That is the reason you have never read the book because you don't want it to ruin the movie." Lucas rambled.

"How do you know all that?" She asked in surprise.

"Because, when you see someone for ten years every day, you pick things up… without even realizing it."

She fell into him, and he held her once again. She was safe for the first time in three years. She brought in a deep breath, smelling his scent. He had this natural musk that seemed so effortless. It smelt refreshing. She closed her eyes peacefully.

"You have a game today." She whispered as he pulled her to lie on the bed, and he held her.

"Right now, I don't really care." He told her truthfully and she was grateful.

She couldn't help but think about things he told her today. He told her needed her, that he would miss her. He didn't even know her. Sure he knew _of _her, because he _had _seen her everyday over the past ten years, but he didn't know her, not really. He knew a few things. He knew her birthday, he knew her favorite band. He didn't know what made her smile, what made her scared, what made her cry. Then again he did, because nothing made her smile, nothing scared her anymore, and nothing made her cry.

She was cold. She didn't care who she hurt because she didn't care about other people's happiness. She didn't even care about her own. Why would anyone want her? Why would anyone love her? She was unlovable because all she did was hurt the people she guessed cared about her. She didn't care about people because caring hurt her. She had become so numb to feelings that she was on autopilot.

It should make her heart race that Lucas held her, but it just made her sleepy. Part of her just wanted to feel. She wanted to cry, or laugh, and actually mean it. She wanted to smile when she woke up and she wanted to feel empathy for others. She wanted to just feel something, but she couldn't. She tried crying, and nothing happened. She tried smiling, but it felt fake. She tried laughing, but it was forced.

It should probably hurt no one seem to notice that, notice that she hadn't smiled since the day they knocked on her door. God, she wished that day never happened. It was the last day she ever felt true happiness. It was the day they decided it was okay take him.

_Brooke ran down the hall with Jake hot on her tail, jumping down the stairs trying to get away from him. _

"_I'm sorry!" She laughed as he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder._

"_Nope, it feels forced now." _

_It was then that the doorbell rang. With Brooke still over his shoulder, Jake went to the door and swung it open to see a man in an Army uniform standing there. He sat Brooke down feeling like a zombie and Brooke spun to see what had caused his daze._

_She fell to the ground when she saw who stood there. It was like slow motion. Her world started to crash around her and by the time she had gotten back up off the ground, she was a different person._

_She didn't smile, she didn't laugh. The second they rolled up the flag and handed it to Fiona, Brooke Davis died._

_She was fine up until that moment. The moment the guns started to go off, she felt it. She felt the pain of never seeing him. The pain felt like a bullet had shot out of the gun straight into her heart. She didn't sob, or even make noise, but if you looked closely on that cold day, there were tears running down her face, behind her big sunglasses._

She didn't understand why they took him… what did her dad do? He served his country and he never did anything to deserve to be… blown up. Men kill innocent human beings, men rape and slaughter people and get away with it. Yet her dad, the man she loved more than anything, was just being a great American, and God just took him away from her.

How could they do that? First her mom, a woman that just loved life and was always healthy and was nice to everyone, loved her family and had a daughter that didn't even get a chance to get to know the woman that gave her life. Then they give her _Fiona _as a replacement, thinking that makes it better. Someone in the sky thinks it is okay to just destroy everything Brooke loved.

Brooke stood up from the bed. She was so alone. She just wanted it all to end. Lucas sat up and watched her as she began to pace.

"Brooke."

"What's wrong with me, Lucas?" She asked with a cold face.

"Nothing, nothing is wrong with you, Brooke!" He yelled at her.

"There has to be. I must have done something to deserve all of this," she gestured to the air indicating her life.

Lucas slid off the bed and angrily made his way to her.

"You don't deserve this and you can end it if you just tell someone!" He yelled, but she shook her head.

"Stop." She said weakly.

"Why are you so adamant about not getting help?" He asked confused.

"Shut up Lucas" She snapped.

"No, not till you tell me why."

In this moment, Brooke pushed him away, feeling cornered. Lucas just stared at her, wanting in, but knowing she wasn't going to, not now.

"Brooke, I _want_ to know, I _want_ to help you. Just let me."

"No, Lucas. I don't want you to help. I'm fine!" She laughed angrily, knowing he knew she was lying, but at this point she didn't care.

"Brooke, you're lying, right now you are lying to me! You aren't fine!" He gently grabbed her arm, pulling up the sleeve. "Look at those, Brooke. That is _not_ fine. You are insane if you think that is fine!" He yelled at her, seeing her flinch away from him made him drop her arm instantly.

"If I tell on Fiona," she started mumbling, just wanting him to leave her alone, "I'm scared, Lucas… because what if she goes to jail? That means she'll get out and at some point will come find me and kill me"

"Brooke, we can protect you" He tried to pull her into an embrace, but she backed away.

"Lucas, you don't understand. No. One. Cares. About. Me. I push everyone away, everyone knows that. No one wants to help me." His heart broke for her. Her anger spiked in spite of it all.

"I care, Brooke, I care." He walked towards her, but she pushed him, her anger doubling.

"Don't lie to me, Lucas! Don't you dare look at me and say you care, I know you don't, and so don't lie to me Lucas. I don't want or need your sympathy. Get **out** now!" She gestured towards the door, just wanting to be alone. She couldn't believe she told him about losing Jake. She wasn't supposed to care about anyone anymore.

"No" He shrugged.

She felt it. She didn't know why but started to feel everything that she had worked so hard to keep out. She felt the water start and she felt the anger come. She felt the pain and she started to hit Lucas. She wanted him to feel it too. She wanted to hurt him. She slammed her hands down on to his chest and started to sob.

"Why won't you just leave?" She cried continuing to hit him.

Lucas let her hit him as long as she needed to because she had finally done it. She felt something. She started to sob and soon her hits got weaker and she fell into him. She sobbed loudly as Lucas wrapped his arms around her and she gave two more week hits.

She cried into his chest mumbling incoherently. Lucas just held her feeling tightness in his chest not knowing what to say. He didn't want to leave her but he didn't want do anything that would scare her away.

"I just wanted to be left alone." She cried.

"Yeah, I know" was all Lucas knew to say as he continued to do the only thing that she seemed to be satisfied with.

Be silent… and hold her.

**So i know it is short but i didnt want to write more and take away from Brooke's breakthrough. I will try to update as often as i can but it is very difficult because of school. I understand now what i brother meant when he would tell me that junior year is very important.**

**So much work... it's awful.**

**Anywho, Review!**

**-Loo**

**(Totally just had a triple rhyme. Only my sister will appreciate this.)**


	13. She Is

**Short… I know.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12: She is<strong>

* * *

><p><em>This is going to break me clean in two<em>_  
><em>_This is going to bring me close to you__  
><em>_She is everything I need that I never knew I wanted__  
><em>_She is everything I want that I never knew I needed  
>-The fray<em>**  
><strong>

Brooke ignored everyone the next few weeks. It wasn't very hard to do saying as most people avoided her anyway. She had gotten into a fight with Jake yesterday because he wanted to know what was wrong with her.

She didn't respond.

She stayed silent, wouldn't speak to anyone and looked somber all the time. It was worse than before Lucas broke through her wall. She was even scarier.

She was having a hard time. She felt like she was getting sick, her grades were slipping and the worst part was she missed Lucas. She didn't know why. She spent only a few days with him.

But it was more than that. She has known him forever and somewhere in there they had gotten to know each other and now she never saw him and she missed him. She didn't like that feeling. She felt so alone. She was depressed. Not in the oh I hate my life way either. Clinically depressed. If you took her to a doctor they would tell you she was depressed. It was awful and she just wanted it better.

She wished of a better life.

She knew it was stupid to, but she did. She wished someone would come in and save her from everything.

That was wrong she didn't want someone, she wanted a blonde boy.

And again, she didn't know why.

When she would sit in class, he would ignore her. He wouldn't even look in her direction and she hated it. They weren't even close or friends so why did it bother her so much?

Because of before.

Before her dad. When she was happy she felt for Lucas. She had a crush on him and she didn't know why but she ignored it. She didn't think anything would ever happen.

Then they started to get older and the feeling started to fade away.

Then her dad died and everything faded away.

There was that one night though.

"_Just leave me alone Lucas! You are so mean!_" _Brooke yelled drunkenly pushing him away from her and stumbling up the steps._

"_Will you stop running away from me for five minutes Brooke?"_

"_No, you're mean" She slurred leaning against the wall._

_He rolled his eyes at the way she pouted._

"_What are you doing Brooke?" He asked her placing his hands on either side of her._

"_My head hurts" She whimpered dropping her head onto his chest._

"_It's because you drank so much B" He shook his head._

"_So did you"_

"_Yeah, I know"_

"_You smell like beer" Brooke told him looking up at him sad eyes._

"_Please don't be sad Brooke" He whispered rubbing the pad of his thumb against her cheek._

"_I have no reason to be happy, Lucas" She sighed covering his hand with her own._

"_I know. I'm sorry"_

"_It's not like you killed him" She sighed._

"_Have you talked to anyone?"_

_Brooke eyes darkened and pushed him away._

"_I don't need to talk to someone Lucas. It's not like something is wrong with me"_

"_Of course there is! You're dad is dead and you act like it doesn't bother you!"_

"_Fuck you Lucas! You don't know shit!" She yelled._

"_I know that you need to talk to someone!"_

"_Talking doesn't bring him back!"_

"_But at least you can get over it!" _

"_Who said I wanted to?"_

_He breathed heavily._

"_What is wrong with you Brooke?" _

"_Nothing! Nothing is wrong with me! I am perfectly fine!"_

"_Prove it"_

Her way of proving it was shoving her tongue down his throat. She didn't know why that was the route she took but she was drunk and it was the first thing that popped into her mind. She left before he woke up the next day and had a few awkward fights with him after it but soon they just forgot about it.

She lay in her bed wanting to forget him now but it was hard when she could hear his voice downstairs. She felt like crying which was she was so tired of. Ever since jackass made her cry weeks ago she was always crying. She would just lie in her bed and cry.

She knew why.

Because he made her think she could be saved… when she knew she couldn't.

She wiped a small tear from her eye and willed the rest of the tears away when the door opened. Out of instinct she tensed and closed her eyes saying as it was later and she didn't know where Fiona was.

She felt the bed shift and a hand take hers and she slowly opened her eyes to see a blond.

"Hey" He whispered.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking on you"

"Why?"

"Because Jake says you've been quieter than usual so I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine"

"You are so far from fine Brooke."

"You don't-"

"I do know you Brooke. When are you ever going to get that?" He snapped.

She pulled herself in a sitting position.

"Why are you trying so hard Lucas?" She questioned.

"I don't know!" He stood up and started to pace around the room confused, "Maybe because I can't just sit by and watch you do this!"

"Everyone else does," She said angrily pushing the covers away and standing up.

"I can't be everyone else Brooke" He struggled to stay angry, but he didn't want to yell at her.

"Why?"

"Because you're Brooke" He felt the anger start to diminish.

"So…"

"You're my Brooke"

"I'm no one's Lucas" Brooke shook her head.

"Maybe so but it means something when in ten years I have rarely spoken to you but you know more about me than anyone does"

"No I don't"

"Yes you do and you hate it because I know just as much about you" He snipped.

"No you don't Lucas!"

"When's my birthday?" He questioned.

"I don't know" She lied staring at the ground.

"Don't lie Brooke"

"March"

"Brooke…"

"Fine! January 20th!" She threw her hands out to the side.

"Favorite color?"

"I don't know"

"Brooke… I will do this with every question"

"Blue"

He took one step closer to her.

"Favorite ice cream?"

"Chocolate."

He gave her a stern look.

She groaned loudly, "You don't like ice cream"

"Tell me you don't know me"

"I don't know you"

"Bullshit" He rolled his eyes.

"Lucas, stop" She pushed him away.

"No" He came in closer.

"Why are you doing this?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. There is probably a reason but for right now this is the only way I can protect you"

"I don't need protection"

"But I want to give it to you" He told her honeslty.

"Stop being stupid Lucas"

He shook his head. "No"

"I'm not worth this"

"You are to me" He shrugged.

"Since when?"

He couldn't tell her the truth of when he started to feel this way. There were two answers. The one that involved stealing of phones. The other involved a fifteen year old boy that had always cared about the fourteen year old girl that stood in front of him.

"Probably longer than either of us want to admit."

Brooke felt her heart race and this weird feeling to smile. She hadn't truly smiled since her dad died. It felt foreign.

"You make me want to smile" She whispered.

"Good" He took a step closer to her hoping she didn't push away this time.

"You do know what you're doing right?"

"No"

"I'm damaged Lucas. I'm a mess and I have baggage and-"

He was tired of hearing all the reasons why he shouldn't like her. He was tired of hearing how she wasn't good enough so he shut her up with his lips. He didn't realize how much he missed her lips until they were on his.

"Damn, I missed you" He mumbled and Brooke felt her heart start to pound.

"I didn't know you cared that much"

"Neither did I"

**So this is super duper short but I wanted it to be final and I didn't want to have a lot to go with it so this is it. They like each other. Hehe. **

**So, after reading this you should go read the other story I just posted that I am writing with my 'Peyton.' She is by far my best friend and the P. Sawyer to my B. Davis. Except we don't try to steal 'Lucas' from each other. She stays with a Jake.**

**Oh her pen is alwaysbutneverright and we are writing a story together, I Forgot to Remember To Forget.**

**Summary:**

_**Because Peyton Sawyer wasn't one to cheat. Because Brooke Davis wasn't one to let people in. Because Jake Jagielski wasn't one to get sober. Because Lucas Scott wasn't one to care. Because it was never supposed to mean something. But everyone knew it did.**_

**I hope everyone gives it a shot because it is really good and amazing to write.**

**Do not get me wrong I cannot wait for you to come home****  
><strong>**For now you're not here and I'm not there, it's like we're on our own****  
><strong>**To figure it out, consider how to find a place to stand****  
><strong>**Instead of walking away and instead of nowhere to land**

**This is going to break me clean in two****  
><strong>**This is going to bring me close to you**

**She is everything I need that I never knew I wanted****  
><strong>**She is everything I want that I never knew I needed**

**It's all up in the air and we stand still to see what comes down****  
><strong>**I don't know where it is, I don't know when, but I want you around****  
><strong>**When it falls into place with you and I, we go from if to when****  
><strong>**Your side and mine are both behind it's indication**

**This is going to bring me clarity****  
><strong>**This'll take the heart right out of me**

**She is everything I need that I never knew I wanted****  
><strong>**She is everything I want that I never knew I needed**

**This is going to bring me to my knees****  
><strong>**I just want to hold you close to me**

**She is everything I need that I never knew I wanted****  
><strong>**She is everything I want that I never knew I needed****  
><strong>


	14. Skyscraper

**I apologize for the long gap between updates. I have had a lot of stuff for school going on and other stuff that the last thing on my mind was this story.**

**The only reason I even updated **_**I Forgot To Remember To Forget **_**was because I found a chapter just lying around and I thought, hey ill update.**

**So again, I'm sorry, but I just didn't have time. School is stressful.**

**So Merry Christmas, and will try to update again before school starts back up again.**

**SMILE!**

**Oh and thank you to ****xXalienatedXx for the song suggestion that you suggested chapters ago! I had been waiting to use this song so thank you!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13: Skyscraper<strong>

* * *

><p><em>You can take everything I have<br>You can break everything I am  
>Like I'm made of glass<br>Like I'm made of paper  
>Go on and try to tear me down<br>I will be rising from the ground  
>Like a skyscraper<em>  
>-<em>Demi Lovato<em>

It was a weird feeling… to be happy. To not worry about what waited for her at home. He made her forget everything else. She didn't think that was possible, but somehow he did it. He hated that she wouldn't let him help her, but she was almost done. She only had seven months and then she would be gone. Brooke had seven months before she didn't have to worry about beatings. Too bad that Fiona would never let her see the outside of Tree Hill.

She had noticed that before Lucas she didn't really think about her future. She told her friends that she didn't plan on leaving Tree Hill, but something about Lucas made her want a future and could picture it.

Peyton and Brooke had made up. The second Peyton found out Lucas and Brooke were together they stopped fighting and even though Peyton still wasn't happy about the Fiona thing, she told Brooke she'd rather be friends with her then not.

"I don't remember the last time I saw you smile, Brooke" Peyton told her.

"Yeah," Brooke mumbled as they stood at her locker.

"He is the only that can do it isn't he?" Peyton asked.

Brooke shrugged.

It was then Lucas walked up to them and wrapped an arm around Brooke's shoulder and she turned into him, giving him a very small smile.

But to Peyton, a small smile was so much improvement in her best friend and by the way her best friend was looking at her brother, Peyton couldn't help but let a smile break out across her face.

"You two look comfortable," Alex teased walking up, her hand intertwined with Chase's.

"To think you two have only been together a month," Chase taunted.

"You'd think they'd been together for years," Alex added.

"Well, we have been waiting for it to happen for years. Glad you two saw the light," Chase smiled at them.

"Shut up," Brooke mumbled wrapping her arms around Lucas' waist as he kissed the top of her head.

"Aww, what a darling couple," Jake joked as he made his appearance with Nathan and Haley close behind.

"I hate all of you," Brooke muttered.

"Yeah, she only likes Lucas," Peyton smirked.

"I'm okay with that," Lucas shrugged.

"Oh leave them alone," Rachel commanded.

"On to first period!" Quinn smiled as she stood next to Rachel.

They all slowly started down the hallway laughing and joking together as Brooke and Lucas trailed behind.

"You okay pretty girl?" He asked her and she nodded.

"It's hard to get used to is all,"

"What is?" Lucas asked her.

"Having someone make me happy,"

Lucas smiled down at her.

"You are gonna be happy, Brooke. I promise,"

She leaned up giving him a small kiss before they continued their journey to first period.

* * *

><p>"It's coming up" He told her and she nodded wishing he would just let it go.<p>

"I know, Lucas."

He sighed as she continued to take notes.

"Stay with me that night, Brooke." It wasn't a suggestion or even a command. It was a plea. He just wanted her safe.

"I'm not scared of her Lucas."

"But I am. So please, pretty girl. Please stay with me," He begged and she shook her head.

"I'm not fighting you on this."

"Fine," He said aggravated turning back to the teacher and ignored her the rest of the class.

When the bell rang, Lucas left quickly and Brooke sighed running to catch up with him. She grabbed his arm to pull him down a hall and made him stop to listen to her.

"Lucas, I'm sorry I just… I can't just run from her my whole life," Brooke said and Lucas shook his head.

"You don't run you don't have a life" He snapped and she stared at her hands.

"Don't come in and try to fix me Lucas,"

"I'm not trying to fix you. I'm trying to save you,"

"I don't want you to. I am getting along just fine. Look, soon i'll get out of here and never have to see her again so why should I go through everything else when I will be gone soon anyway," She shrugged.

"Brooke, please…"

"No,"

She walked away from him.

He didn't know it was going to be this hard. He wished she would just let him take care of her but she is too damn proud to let anyone try to help her.

* * *

><p>"Are you ever gonna tell her?" Nathan asked Lucas as they sat at lunch and Lucas watched as his girl weaved through tables to get to the lunch line where her friends stood.<p>

"Someday,"

"Don't wait to late, Luke. She needs to know how you really found out," Nathan told him.

"I know, I just…"

"Just what?"

"I finally have her. After years of denying my feelings I have her and I just don't want to lose her," Lucas reasoned and Nathan nodded.

"You can't keep it secret forever and knowing Brooke… it might bother her that you knew and pried,"

"I know. I'll tell her, I will. "

* * *

><p>"Here you are, Brooke" Karen smiled handing Brooke the large Beatles cup.<p>

"Thank you, Karen" Brooke said resting the side of her head on her hand as she sipped on the drink through the straw.

"How are you?" Karen asked the brunette.

"Better than a month ago," Brooke told her honestly.

"And why is that?" Karen smiled and Brooke shrugged continuing to chug her drink.

Karen shook her head turning back to cleaning the counters.

"Hey pretty girl," Lucas said into Brooke's ear and Brooke turned in her stool to give him a small smile.

"Hey boyfriend,"

Lucas leaned down to give her a quick peck before taking a seat down next to her resting an arm around her waist.

"Hey ma," Lucas said to Karen.

"Hey Lucas," She responded walking into the back and Lucas turned to Brooke.

"What do you want to do?" He asked her and she shrugged.

"I just want to be with you" Brooke told him and he nodded.

"I can do that" He smiled kissing the top of her head.

"Do you ever think about life outside of Tree Hill?" Brooke asked him as she stared into her cup.

"I think everyone does,"

"Where do you wanna go after high school?"

"I don't know… I want to come back here. My friends are here, my family is here… you're here," He shrugged and she smiled at him.

"I have nothing holding me here," She told him honestly.

"Good,"

Karen watched through the kitchen window at her son. She knew it was going to happen. The second Brooke and Lucas got close; they were going to get together. Everyone knew that. She never thought they would get so serious so quickly, but she was happy for them. Brooke was finally starting to smile again and Lucas truly cared for her, and if the way the brunette looked at Lucas was any indication, Karen was fairly certain that Brooke felt the exact same way.

* * *

><p>"Brooke, I have to tell you something," Lucas didn't know why he said it, but as he was watching her smile at him as they sat in his room, he just needed to tell her.<p>

It wasn't a huge deal. At least he didn't think so. It was just a few texts, but he wanted her to know.

"What?"

"Well, a few months ago, before we started this, Nathan, Kellerman and I were waiting for Peyton," Lucas started.

"Okay,"

"And we had Peyton's phone," He continued.

"Where are you going with this?" She asked worriedly.

"Kellerman text you,"

"So?"

"He text you a few times,"

"About what?"

"Asking you how many guys you had slept with," Lucas stated.

"What?"

"And I text you and you told me about Fiona,"

"Why would you do that?" She asked hurt.

"I don't know, I just-"

"That was personal, Lucas. So tell why you thought it was okay to do that?"

"I don't know!"

"I need to go, I need to be away from you," Brooke muttered racing out the door.

Lucas jumped up to follow her.

"Brooke"

"We aren't talking" Brooke said in a clipped tone making her way down the long hallway. She wasn't positive where she was going she just needed to get away from him.

"Yes, we are"

"What is there to talk about, you asshole? How you lied to me? Made me tell you things, made me care about you… God I hate you!" She ran her hands through her hair frustrated hearing his footsteps growing closer.

"I'm sorry… but just because I talked to through a phone and lied doesn't mean the guy you got to know face to face lied" He tried to grab her arm but he didn't have a firm grip on she pulled away harshly.

She spun around with a icy glare and shoved him backwards. "Yes you did! You lied to me when you acted like you just happened to find out about… everything was just a chance encounter when you weaseled it out of me. You would take what you found out and then act like it was because you have what… intuition? Good observation skills? I hate you Lucas. I hate everything about you" She screaming shoving him two more times.

"Stop" He said when she went to punch his chest and he grabbed her hands holding them tightly.

"What was your plan… to humiliate me?" She hissed.

"Stop it, Brooke. I wasn't doing it maliciously or to mess with you. I didn't even start it! You text Peyton. _Kellerman _text back, Brooke. And when you text that fucking text I didn't let him see it. Nathan saw it and that was it, but I couldn't not reply."

"It's simple. You tell Peyton and forget. You don't pretend to be her and meddle into my problems!" She yelled ripping her hands once again away from him.

"Brooke, please-"

"You asked about how many people I slept with Lucas" She seethed. She didn't understand why that hurt her so bad, but it did. It made her so angry and she wanted to throw something at him. "Did you want to see if you were still number one? You want the truth Lucas? I regret it… I wish it never happened. I hate seeing you knowing you were the one that took something so special to me and because we were drunk."

"You don't-"

"I regret every second I have ever spent with you and I never want to speak to you again"

She knew as she said it that it was the farthest thing from the truth, but she had finally opened herself up and she felt betrayed.

Lucas watched her leave hating himself. He should have just not said anything.

* * *

><p>She stared up at her house from where she sat. She had been having the feelings all day… no they had been going on for awhile. And even though she was so angry at Lucas for what he did, even now as she sat here she couldn't but help her thoughts run to him. And she had this feeling that even thought she was angry, she wanted them to get passed it. She knew it was crazy because she had just told him she never wanted to see him again, but she already missed him.<p>

Before, she didn't really care if Fiona did whatever Fiona did to her. She was so numb that nothing bothered anymore. But now, every time she walked into that house, she feared never seeing Lucas again. She knew it was probably wrong to have such strong feelings for someone she had only been with for a month, but in her mind she had been falling for him for ten years. Maybe it took her awhile to realize it but she knew it was true. And now that they were together, she was starting to think about things that before she never thought she would reach. She thought about life after Fiona which she used to think there never would be one.

She felt this inner strength she forgot she had and she wanted nothing more than to pack her bags and go. She wasn't going to lie down and take it anymore.

She was so tired of being beaten down by that woman.

Brooke took in a deep breath before walking into her house to see Fiona walking through a door that led to her room. Brooke knew Jake was in his room and Brooke glared at Fiona before starting up the stairs.

"Brooklyn,"

Brooke stopped her climbing to slowly turn to look at a surprisingly sober Fiona.

"What?" She groaned.

"Don't you dare take on an attitude with me," Fiona warned and Brooke shook her head.

"You don't scare me Fiona," Brooke muttered and Fiona's climbed the steps till she made it to Brooke.

"Oh?"

"Oh, you don't hate me, not really…"

"And what gave you that idea?"

"You hate him," Brooke shrugged.

"Excuse me?" Fiona glared.

"You hate my dad, not me"

"I loved your father," Fiona said through a clenched jaw.

"But he didn't love you. And you didn't love him… you were obsessed. You thought my mom took something that should have been yours,"

"He was mine and she stole him from me!"

"He was never yours and you hated it. The second she died you took that as your chance to finally get him and guess what Fiona, you didn't get him. The sad part was you didn't even realize that until they gave you his dog tag… and it was _her _ring that hung around it. _Her _ring that I'm sure he kissed before he went into the field… and it was _her _picture they found withering away in his back pocket, not you. He didn't even wear his wedding ring that he had with you." Brooke let out a laugh, "You are pathetic and you can hit me and beat me until I'm gone Fiona, but beating me will never make him want you."

Brooke felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest at the feeling of finally saying what she had been wanting to say for years. She turned away from a shell shocked Fiona and went to start back up the stairs when she felt herself being pulled in the other direction. Before Brooke even had a chance to catch herself, she was hitting the hard uneven wooden steps. She soon couldn't stop the tumbling and the hard blows that came.

It was slow motion and everything she held dear to her ran through Brooke's mind.

She thought about she didn't give Peyton back that Beatles record.

She thought about the first time she met Jake.

Memories of her and Alex's crazy outburst over Harry Potter ran through her mind.

She wished she had a chance to tell Rachel and Ian they needed to stop being so stupid.

She wanted to tell Chase she was okay with him going into the army.

She thought about how she was gonna miss Clay and Nathan calling her Cookie.

She wanted a hug from a Haley.

She wanted to hear Quinn's camera going off as she snapped froze a memory.

And as she felt that final blow of her head hitting the railing, and finally hitting the ground, she heard Jake charging down the stairs screaming at Fiona.

She never got to tell Lucas she loved him.

She would never get to tell him that she didn't hate him and that she forgave him.

And then it all faded away and she didn't think anything anymore.

**Review Please!**

**And if you ever get bored go check out my other story!**

**Skies are crying, I am watching**  
><strong>Catching tear drops in my hands<strong>  
><strong>Only silence, as it's ending<strong>  
><strong>Like we never had a chance<strong>

**Do you have to make me feel like**  
><strong>So there's nothing left of me?<strong>

**_[Chorus:]_**  
><strong>You can take everything I have<strong>  
><strong>You can break everything I am<strong>  
><strong>Like I'm made of glass<strong>  
><strong>Like I'm made of paper<strong>  
><strong>Go on and try to tear me down<strong>  
><strong>I will be rising from the ground<strong>  
><strong>Like a skyscraper<strong>  
><strong>Like a skyscraper<strong>

**_[Bridge:]_**  
><strong>As the smoke clears, I awaken<strong>  
><strong>And untangle you from me<strong>  
><strong>Would it make you, feel better<strong>  
><strong>To watch me while I bleed?<strong>

**All my windows still are broken**  
><strong>But I'm standing on my feet<strong>

**_[Chorus:]_**  
><strong>You can take everything I have<strong>  
><strong>You can break everything I am<strong>  
><strong>Like I'm made of glass<strong>  
><strong>Like I'm made of paper<strong>  
><strong>Go on and try to tear me down<strong>  
><strong>I will be rising from the ground<strong>  
><strong>Like a skyscraper<strong>  
><strong>Like a skyscraper<strong>

**_[Bridge:]_**  
><strong>Go run, run, run<strong>  
><strong>I'm gonna stay right here, watch you disappear<strong>  
><strong>Yeah oh<strong>  
><strong>Go run, run, run<strong>  
><strong>Yeah, it's a long way down<strong>  
><strong>But I am closer to the clouds up here<strong>

**_[Chorus:]_**  
><strong>You can take everything I have<strong>  
><strong>You can break everything I am<strong>  
><strong>Like I'm made of glass<strong>  
><strong>Like I'm made of paper<strong>  
><strong>Oh Oh<strong>  
><strong>Go on and try to tear me down<strong>  
><strong>I will be rising from the ground<strong>  
><strong>Like a skyscraper<strong>  
><strong>Like a skyscraper<strong>

**(Like a skyscraper) huh huh huh**

**Like a skyscraper**  
><strong>Like a skyscraper<strong>


	15. Rubik's Cube

**Chapter 14: Rubik's Cube**

* * *

><p><em>I'm like a kid who just won't let it go,<em>  
><em>Twisting and turning the colours in rows,<em>  
><em>I'm so intensified that's what it is.<em>  
><em>This is my Rubik's Cube<em>  
><em>And all i can't figure it out.<br>-Athlete _

Brooke woke up with a loud sigh and stretched before getting up for the day. She yawned as she sluggishly made her way down the stairs for breakfast. Her mom stood at the stove flipping an egg while her dad read the newspaper sipping on coffee.

"Morning Mom, Daddy" Brooke mumbled pouring herself some coffee and standing next to her mom.

"What are you going to be up to today?" Her mom asked her and Brooke shrugged.

"I don't know. I might just hang out with Lauren."

"Well, let us know, okay?" Her dad said and Brooke nodded.

"I will. What are you guys going to do?" She asked them.

"Christmas shopping,"

"But it is October," Brooke said confused and her dad shook her head.

"Don't even start your mother on this,"

"Richard, all I am saying is that if you wait too long nothing will be rest," Victoria told him.

"So why don't we wait until November… or at least December?"

"We are doing it today," She smirked knowing she was going to win.

"You two are unbelievable," Brooke laughed at her parents.

"It's why you love us," Richard shrugged turning back to his paper.

"I'll see you guys later,"

* * *

><p>Brooke walked through the long stretch of mall with Lauren listening to her ramble on about something when someone slammed into her.<p>

"Watch where you going," She muttered.

"Sorry princess. Didn't mean to hurt you," was slurred and Brooke glared at the back that didn't wait for a response.

"He is so creepy," Lauren grumbled.

"Yeah," Brooke said staring at the boy named Jake.

Jake Jagielski was someone she used to know. He was a sweet kid when they were younger. They lived next door and his dad was a nice guy. Brooke never met his mom just knew of her name, Fiona. Her mom used to be friends with her when they were in high school but they had a falling out that Victoria never spoke of. Then right before kindergarten his dad died in a car accident and it was all downhill from there. Jake got into fights even at the age of five and grew into a trouble making bully. He was known for picking on the weak and breaking down the strong. He most days was hung over and always had some bimbo hanging off him.

Brooke never paid much attention to him, but now as she stared at him, she felt a strange longing to follow him.

She shook it off and continued to listen to Lauren ramble.

"How are you and Julian?" Lauren asked.

"Uhh, you know, together," Brooke shrugged.

"You two are so cute together," Lauren gushed.

"Er, yeah. I totally agree,"

Brooke didn't know why she felt like this. She was usually just as excited to talk to Lauren about her boyfriend. She was usually talking just as much and she never cared about Jake Jagielski, but she felt off. She felt like she didn't fit in and that someone was missing she just couldn't figure out what it was.

"Are you okay Brookie?" Lauren asked and Brooke gave a forced smile.

"Yeah, just tired" She shrugged.

"Yeah, I can tell by the bags under your eyes" Lauren observed and Brooke cringed.

Usually Lauren's indifference to see Brooke's lying didn't bother her but something about how Lauren wasn't glossing over the lie because she knew Brooke didn't want to talk about it but because she really didn't see it made her annoyed.

What was wrong with her today?

* * *

><p>Brooke walked through her house and found her mom walking towards the door. "Come with me,"<p>

Brooke followed her to the car and before she even could ask why her mom was zooming out of the driveway and to the unknown.

"How was your day?" Victoria asked.

"Weird. Where are we going?" Brooke asked not recognizing the street they were on or how they even got there.

"Somewhere," Victoria said vaguely.

Brooke closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. She dreamed of Jake, but not in a romantic way. In a way that made her see him in a different light. She heard laughter, she heard voices but never faces. One voice she heard often was a male. His voice made her heart race and she wasn't really sure why. Soon her mom was shaking her awake and pulling her out of the car. Brooke looked around and took in that they were in a small town and at a small café. Brooke looked at her mom like she had grown a second head.

"I'm completely confused, mom."

"You'll see soon enough,"

She walked into the café and it was completely full. Her mom weaved through tables to find an empty one and sat down grabbing a menu.

"See anything that looks familiar?" Victoria mumbled.

"What?" Brooke asked.

"I asked if you saw anything that looked good, honey?" Victoria asked and Brooke just looked at her.

She could've sworn her mom said familiar but this had been a long day so maybe she just misheard her.

"Hi, can I take your order?" The voice. Brooke turned to see a girl with puffy eyes and tangled hair staring back at her. The face wasn't recognizable, but that voice. Brooke knew she had heard that voice before.

"May I have the Caesar salad with sweet tea, and Brooke?" Victoria looked at her daughter.

"Just a Dr. Pepper," Brooke said losing her appetite.

"Alright," the blonde said before taking the menus and walking away.

"Have we ever been here before?" Brooke asked and Victoria shook her head and showed a small smile.

"Well, of course not. Why would you think that?"

"Just seems like I have,"

Brooke looked around and spotted a big group of people laughing and joking with each other.

"They seem nice," Victoria said and Brooke had that longing feeling again.

"And you remember that time Lucas got completely pummeled by her in fifth grade?" a red headed girl asked and they all started laughing.

Their laughing was comforting and Brooke wished she knew who these people were. She then saw a teenage boy walk out from the back and start towards their table and Brooke's was entranced by him. "Dr. Pepper?" He asked and Brooke thought she got a yes out but she wasn't completely positive.

His voice. That was the voice that she heard when she was sleeping. The voice that made her heart race, the voice-

"Are you okay, Brooke?" Brooke snapped her head back to her mom.

"Mom, what is going on?" She asked.

"Do you get it?"

"Get what?"

"Honey, what did you yesterday?" Victoria asked her and Brooke fumbled with a response.

"I, I… um… I don't know," She settled.

"Do you remember how you and Julian got together?"

Brooke shook her head feeling tears form out of frustration.

"Can you tell me about Jake, though?"

"Other that his dad died when were young, his mom is never seen, he gets drunk a lot, he-"

"Brooke, baby, why do you think you can remember that?"

"I don't know, mom. I just can."

"Who is that?" Victoria asked pointing at the boy that had given her the drink.

"I don't know," Brooke yelled at her gaining stared from the café.

"Look harder, Brooke." Victoria pushed and Brooke cut her eyes over locking her gaze with him and her breath caught in her throat.

"Who is he?"

Brooke went to turned away from him but found she couldn't. She couldn't look away from him and it made her want to cry. "Lucas,"

The second she said his name the café was empty and it was just Victoria and her sitting there. She looked at her mom upset.

"Who is Lucas?"

"Lucas… is my… my Lucas," Brooke stumbled over her words at the realization.

The crying blonde was her best friend.

The laughing group were her friends.

The boy was Lucas. Her Lucas.

Her longing for Jake was because he was her brother.

"Mommy, why do they not know who I am?"

"Because it is time you see it,"

"See what?"

"You say you understand but in the deep depths of your mind you wish I never died. That your daddy never because life would have been easier,"

"It would have-"

"This is your life Brooke. Without Jake, without all your friends, without Lucas"

"I would get over it,"

Brooke felt the world spin around her and she was suddenly in Peyton's room and found Peyton curled up in a ball crying her eyes out.

"What's wrong with her?"

"She doesn't have Jake here. If I don't die, Jake becomes a drunk and never meets her. In this world, Peyton sleeps around never settling down… in this world, she just found out she is three weeks late," Victoria told her and Brooke's heard broke at the sight of her best friend.

"Why is Jake-"

"How he is?" Brooke nodded, "His dad died not longer after me and you two made an unbreakable bond from it. Here, you didn't have a dead parent to communicate with him over. So he chose violence just like his mother did."

"So in this world… I have you, I have daddy, and that's it?"

"No you have lots of friends, but they don't really know you and you don't even really like them,"

"So I'm alone?" Brooke asked.

Victoria nodded.

"What happened?" Brooke asked confused.

"When Fiona pulled you down the stairs, it landed you here,"

"This isn't just a life where you didn't die is it?" Brooke asked her.

"No if you decide to stay, there will be changes that happen to your friends,"

"Like?" Brooke asked.

Brooke felt the world spin around her and she was at a jail.

"Where are we?"

"There are two places Jake will end up. After you die, he blames himself and his whole world will fall apart. He loses Peyton after she got tired of him coming home drunk. He loses all his friends because he closed himself off from everyone and soon he gets into trouble with the law and ends up here" Victoria said with a regretful tone.

Brooke watched as they shoved Jake into a cell and Brooke tried to get to him but Victoria held her off.

"You can't change this,"

"Where else does he go?"

"Here," Brooke soon was at a cemetery and started to feel tears well up at his grave next to hers.

"How?"

"Driving drunk," Victoria told her and Brooke closed her eyes.

"What about Peyton?"

Brooke opened her eyes to see a small blonde running down the aisle of a grocery store, she looked maybe three or four years old, before you see an older looking Peyton close behind. Peyton didn't look much older, maybe twenty two, twenty three but the bags under her eyes made her looks years older. She wore her hair longer than she did in high school and she looked completely worn out.

"Lynn, please don't run from mommy," Peyton called after her making the blonde stop and turn to look at her mother.

"Mommy, come on," Lynn ran up to Peyton grabbing her hand and pulling her down the aisle.

"Peyton has a daughter?" Brooke asked.

"Yes, Jake and her tried to make it work after you died but after she got pregnant, they fell apart, and he left and she was left alone with Lynn, short for Brooklyn," Victoria told her and Brooke shook her head.

"I need to see Lucas," Brooke asked sadly.

"Okay," Victoria said grabbing Brooke's arm and walking through the front of the grocery store.

Once they passed the door, Brooke was standing in a living room where presents were scattered around a tree. Brooke leaned over to read names of people she wasn't really sure on who they were and then ones she knew.

James, Lydia, Lynn, Johnny, CJ, Lucas, Peyton, Nathan, Quinn, Haley, Clay.

Brooke heard voices and turned to see Lynn who now looked like a teenager walk in. She looked even more like her mother now except her hair had gone darker to look more like Jake's. It had a wavy look to it which Brooke wondered if she got also from Jake.

Then three boys who ranged in ages from ten to seventeen walked in and a girl who looked about nine shying away as she kept her head down. It was then the adults walked in. A much older Nathan who looked to be in his thirties meaning the rest of the adults were. Next was Haley who looked just as beautiful as she did when they were in high school and she was talking animatedly to Peyton and Quinn. Quinn wore her hair shorter than she did in her teenage years. Peyton didn't look much different from when Lynn was younger.

Clay came out carrying a tray of food and sat it down and Brooke looked around for Lucas.

"Where is he?" Brooke asked and Victoria didn't answer but instead gestured for Brooke to listen to her friends.

"Where's Lucas?" Quinn asked and Peyton sighed looking at her brother before looking back at Quinn with a small sigh.

"Still?" Clay asked and Nathan nodded.

"It's been twenty years. He has to let her go," Quinn said and Peyton shook her head.

"I don't think he really cares anymore about anyone else," Nathan said.

"Mom, what are they talking about?" Brooke asked with a spin they were back at the cemetery to see a middle aged Lucas sitting on a bench staring at Brooke's grave.

"Brooke, losing you killed a part of him," Victoria stated and Brooke felt tears well up in her eyes as she took a seat next to him wishing she could reach out and in touch him.

He looked empty and angry as he stared at her headstone and Brooke wished he would speak but he never did. "He doesn't get married?" Brooke asked as she continued to stare at Lucas.

"No, he never got over not saving you"

Brooke wiped at her eyes and turned to her mom.

"I have seen enough mom," Brooke whispered.

"Okay,"

"I got to go back don't I?"

"You don't have to, but I think you want to,"

"But I want you, mommy" Brooke whimpered wrapping her arms around her mom and pulling her in for a tight embrace.

"I know, but baby you have lived a life without me. You have lived a life without your father, but you have never been in a life without them and we both know you don't want that life. It doesn't hurt my feelings that you can live without me. You have been doing it almost your whole life, but do you really want a life where Jake hates you? Where Jake and Peyton don't get their happy ending? Where you lose Lucas?"

Brooke shook her head and let out a sob.

"Then you can go back and do it without me."

"I love you, mommy."

"I love you, too my beautiful baby girl," She smiled at her.

"Tell daddy I love him," Brooke cried.

"I will," Victoria gave a shaky smile pulling away from her and Brooke closed her eyes trying to stop the crying as soon she was falling into a deep sleep and once again heard voices.

* * *

><p>Jake sat in his empty living room feeling completely lost. He didn't deserve to see her. He was the worst brother in history of brothers. He just went through life not realizing his own mother was beating the living shit out of his sister. Just the thought of it made his stomach churn. He knew they didn't get along and knew something was different with Brooke but he never thought it would be this bad. Then the night of the incident, he heard Brooke talking to her and he went to check on her just when Fiona pulled Brooke to the ground. She was unconscious by the time she hit the floor. By the time he got her to the hospital Fiona had already been taken into custody. He was of course shocked to be told by his girlfriend that it wasn't a first time thing. That this had been going on ever since his step dad died.<p>

He hadn't spoken to Peyton since.

He felt like his whole world was crumbling around him. First Brooke ends up in the hospital, his mom was carted off to jail (which as awful as it sounds, didn't really bother him) and he most likely lost Peyton. He just didn't understand how she couldn't tell him… and why did he not notice? Of course that was already talked about when Peyton and him first got into their fight.

"_Jake, I'm sorry, but-" Peyton reached for Jake but he snatched his arm away and glared at her._

"_But what, Peyton? She is in a coma! How could you keep what was happening to her a secret?"_

_Peyton began to cry. "She begged-"_

"_Don't. Don't use that she begged me line because it won't work. You don't hide that!" He yelled at her._

"_You are no worse than I am, Jake" Peyton shouted at him._

"_Oh, and how do you figure?" He asked her._

"_You lived in the same damn house and you never noticed,"_

_By this time the whole group had made it to them to stop the fight and Jake turned his glare turned to them. _

"_You all knew?" Jake asked and watched as all but Clay, Mouth, Kellerman, and Chase's heads bob up and down._

"_And you did nothing?"_

"_We tried! She wouldn't let us!" Peyton cried._

"_You can all go to hell," Jake hissed before kicking a chair and leaving the hospital._

Jake had yet to go see her. The farthest he got was to the door of her room. The sight of her made him sick and he ran from the hospital as fast he could.

Now he sat in his quiet house wallowing in self pity.

"Jake Jagielski! Get your ass up right now!" was yelled through the door, but Jake ignored the feminine voice.

"I will bust down the door!"

"Go away Alex," Jake groaned sipping on his beer.

"You need to see her," Alex said angrily.

"No I don't,"

"Fine, ignore her like you always do,"

Alex then left and Jake once again was by himself thinking about all the things he should have done for his little sister.

* * *

><p>Eighteen days. That was how long he had been without her. He had spent most of his time sitting in her room except for the days where his mother forced him to go to school. If he loses her, he will always blame himself for not telling someone and for letting her stay in that house. Of course they all blamed each other. Peyton and Jake refused to even speak to each other and Lucas closed himself from everyone entirely.<p>

They all now sat stiffly in the waiting room. They had all been in her room minus Jake and Peyton reminiscing of all the times Brooke had done anything funny. They all thought telling her about it would make her wake up. Lucas had left moments before then walked in and sat down on her bed when her monitor started going crazy and the doctors ran in ushering them all out.

He was shaky all over and had his head in his hands as he waited for the doctor to come out and tell them the news.

"Excuse me?" The doctor said walking in and many heads popped up at his voice.

"Is she okay?" Quinn asked and Lucas' heart stopped at the thought of getting a negative answer.

"She's awake,"

Lucas let out a breath and felt his heart start again thanking anyone who would listen.

"Can we see her?" Alex asked.

"About that, you can-" they all stood up, "But she asked for you."

He pointed at Lucas and Lucas looked around and everyone let out a sigh before they told him to just go see her. Lucas thanked the doctor before starting back to her room with thoughts running through his head.

He just hoped he wasn't still mad at him for what he did.

He opened the door quietly to find her tunred the other way and sat down in the chair and she rolled on to her back to look at him.

"I didn't mean it," She whispered.

"What?" He asked her.

"I didn't mean what I said. I don't regret you," She shook her head and Lucas kissed her hand.

"It's okay. I'm sorry for what I did, but we're fine now, okay?"

"I'm such a mess," She whimpered.

"Just rest, okay? I'm not going anywhere,"

"I love you," She whispered and Lucas nodded climbing into the bed and holding her close.

"I know, I love you too," He said kissing her forehead.

Brooke wanted to cry at just the thought of him. The idea of that other cruel world playing tricks with her and dangling him in front of her when he had no idea of who she was, frightened her. She didn't want to lose him, or Peyton, or Jake, or anyone else… not even Kellerman who pissed her off completely.

One by one her friends all entered but it wasn't till one that she decided to say what needed to be said.

"I need Jake,"

"He isn't here."

"Then get him here, because I need him"

* * *

><p>Jake once again heard pounding on the door.<p>

"Get up, Jake"

"Fuck you," He glared.

" I saw you go see her," She said through the door.

"I don't know what you are talking about,"

"You were drunk and apologizing. I know you miss her just go see her,"

Jake got up and swung the door open. "How do I go see her, Rachel? I can barely look at her. I make myself sick at selfish I am and I can't even begin to apologize enough to her,"

"Jake,"

"I failed her. She is my baby sister and she was going through hell and I never noticed. I was too caught up in my own little world to see the bruises, to see her falling apart. I love her more than anything and I didn't even see that someone I share blood with beat her. My mother did it, and I hate it" Rachel heart tightened at the sight of one of her oldest friends that was always the strong one start to break down. She saw the slight water start to accumulate in his eyes, but she acted like she didn't notice as he continued.

" So tell me Rachel, how do I go see her, when I can't even look at myself,"

"Because she asked for you, Jake. She needs you Jake. Don't fail her again," Rachel said.

Brooke heard her door room open and she turned her head to see Jake standing at the door staring at the ground.

"Hey Jake,"

He didn't look at her just continued to stare at the ground. "Come on, Jake"

He finally looked up at her with sad eyes. "I'm sorry,"

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm an idiot that refused to tell anyone and it landed me here-"

"But if I would have known-"

"I would have denied it. Jake you couldn't have stopped this" Brooke reasoned and he shook his head.

"I'm supposed to protect you," He said softly walking up slowly to her and taking a seat in the chair next to her.

"You are. Just don't shut me out and don't shut Peyton out, okay?" Brooke said thinking of her dream.

"How do we get passed this?" He asked her as he held her hand.

"Together, because I'm gonna need you big brother," Brooke told him and he nodded rising up to give her a tight hug.

"I'll be here,"

"And forgive Peyton. She wanted to tell you, I just practically forced her not to,"

"I miss her," Jake shrugged.

"Trust me, she is a complete mess. She came to see me earlier and god Jake, she loves you so much,"

"I love her too,"

"Then don't hold a grudge," Brooke told him and he nodded.

"We're gonna be okay, Brooke. I will make sure of it,"

"Good,"

**Review! i know the beginning might be confusing.**

**The world is too heavy,**  
><strong>too big for my shoulders,<strong>  
><strong>come take the weight off me, now.<strong>

**Thousands of answers,**  
><strong>for one simple question,<strong>  
><strong>come take the weight off me, now.<strong>

**I'm like a kid who just won't let it go,**  
><strong>Twisting and turning the colours in rows,<strong>  
><strong>I'm so intensified that's what it is.<strong>  
><strong>This is my Rubik's Cube<strong>  
><strong>And all i can't figure it out.<strong>

**We're lost in the playground,**  
><strong>Late night nostalgia,<strong>  
><strong>open the sky for me, now.<strong>

**Friends round the fire,**  
><strong>Outside in December<strong>  
><strong>Open the sky for me now.<strong>

**I'm like a kid who just won't let it go,**  
><strong>Twisting and turning the colours in rows,<strong>  
><strong>I'm so intensified thats what it is.<strong>  
><strong>This is my Rubik's Cube<strong>  
><strong>And all i can't figure it out.<strong>

**Credits roll over,**  
><strong>the edge of the horizons,<strong>  
><strong>but I haven't discovered yet.<strong>

**I'm like a kid who just won't let it go,**  
><strong>Twisting and turning the colours in rows,<strong>  
><strong>I'm so intensified thats what it is.<strong>  
><strong>This is my Rubik's Cube<strong>  
><strong>And all I can't figure it out.<strong>


	16. Holding a Heart

**A/N: I am so so so so so sorry. We should blame my computer that has hated me for the last six months. So, I haven't had a computer, and because I am a masochist every so often I would try so very hard to turn on my computer and then wanted to throw it when it didn't work.**

**So I let it sit there in time out for a few months and earlier I walked in to see what would happened and it turned on. **

**Freaking out I got this chapter up and almost cried tears of joy that it was all still here in all of its not very well written glory!**

**Day freaking made!**

**So here is the very long overdue chapter.**

**I don't think I have many chapters left, but it will probably take me some days to get another chapter because I haven't written for it in six months and yeah.**

**So if anyone still reads this and still believes in me,**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 16: Holding A Heart<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Give in, it´s so hard start<em>  
><em>Live in my skin<em>  
><em>The bruises are useless<em>  
><em>Against it<em>  
><em>I´ll try all I can<em>  
><em>To find a soft place to land<em>  
><em>Come down, come down, come down<em>  
><em>-Girl Named Toby<em>

She went home today. She had packed her bags and was waiting for Jake to get here to take her back to the house. She didn't really want to be there. It just brought back memories of that night and she truly did not want to think about what had happened a month ago. She wished there was somewhere else she could go, but she knew that was stupid. She had nowhere else she could be. She knew that.

There was a knock on the door and she turned to see her big brother walking in with a sad smile on his face. "Hey buddy. You ready to go?"

"Yeah," Brooke sighed, grabbing her bag and handing it to him.

They walked out of the hospital to the car and drove in silence to the scary big house. Once there, Brooke slowly got out and stared at the lonely house.

"So Jake, you realize we are orphans now?" She said with a fake upbeat attitude and he nodded as they started into the house.

"We're gonna be okay, Brooke" He slung his arm around her shoulder and she leaned into him.

"Yeah, except we have no family, Jake. We're all alone," Brooke teared up at having absolutely no one as they stepped into the house.

"Shit no, you are not alone," Brooke looked up to see Rachel round the corner holding Brooke's baby blanket.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?" Brooke asked and Rachel shrugged tossing the blanket at her.

"And miss the big reveal? Hell no," She grinned leaving to go the living room.

"What is she talking about?" Brooke asked and Jake smiled.

"We decided to redecorate," Jake shrugged, veering here to where Rachel had just gone to find all her friends sitting in a living room that looked completely different.

Gone were the designer sofas and old looking rugs, but the furniture they had in the old house. Her dad's recliner was sitting to the far left, her old sofa pushed in the center with the coffee table her father had made for her mom when they first got married. The walls were a pretty shade of green instead of dark purple. All the pictures of Fiona at parties for her company were taken away and hopefully burned and what replaced them were pictures of her mom, her dad, her and Jake, and then many of her friends. It looked more like a home instead of a picture in a magazine.

"It looks like my old living room," She said in awe.

"We decided maybe it was time you didn't have to deal with her anymore," Clay shrugged and Brooke wiped the tears from her eyes.

"You guys did this for me?" She asked.

"We love you, B. Of course we did this," Alex smiled.

"I love you guys, too," Brooke looked at all their smiling faces until she landed on the ones of her boyfriend that she hadn't seen much of.

She asked them to give her some time to process everything that had happened to her and they all gave it to her and dealt with their own messes. It seems almost losing their best friend made their problems a hell of a lot smaller.

Clay and Quinn worked out their problems as she explained to him the worries and what his parents had said. He responded by explaining to her he didn't give two shits about his parents and if they said one more thing, he would drop them completely.

Peyton and Jake had their issues but couldn't stay away from each other very long and after a few awkward run ins at the hospital and a good lecture from Brooke, they sat down and spoke of what they needed to speak about. They weren't back to what they once were, but they were slowly getting there.

Ian and Rachel were working through it. They weren't together, not yet, but they were fixing all the mistakes and explaining the truth behind all the lies they told. Rachel told him she never slept with Cooper. Ian explained he never slept with Theresa. They believed each other and knew if they could just communicate then maybe one day they could be the couple they wanted to be.

Nathan told Haley the second he could afford it, she would have a ring on her finger. Haley responded with making sure he knew she didn't need a ring to know he loved her and always would. Haley smiled and said the second graduation was over they would go to a court house. Nathan grinned and asked why wait till graduation for something he wanted now.

Bevin stopped thinking of all the 'what if' in her relationship with Skills and accepted the offer of going out on a date with him. Alex had come to terms with Chase and didn't hate him for following his dream, just made him promise he came back to her.

"Hey, pretty girl" Lucas pulled Brooke out of her thoughts and she focused her vision on him, "You okay?"

She smiled at him and nodded. "Sorry, was just thinking about nonsense. Thank you guys for this."

They all gave her a hug and told her how happy they were to see her vertical and walking around. Soon they were situated in the living room to watch a movie when Brooke explained she would be going to put her stuff away.

"I'll come with you," Lucas jumped up just for the chance to be around her and she held her hand out for him to take.

They started up the stairs that caused the whole problem and Brooke stopped halfway frozen.

_"He was mine and she stole him from me!"_

Brooke shook the thoughts away but couldn't move as memories of her going in and out of consciousness that night flooded her.

"_Get the fuck away from her!"_

"_Jake! You didn't see her egging me!"_

"_Don't you fucking touch me! I want you to stay away from us!"_

Brooke remembered Jake pulling her head into his lap.

"_Come on, Brooke. You are going to be okay. You are going to be okay."_

"_I need an ambulance. My sister was pushed down the stairs. My mother, my mother did it. Yes, we need police,"_

"Baby, are you okay?" Lucas held Brooke's face in his hands and she finally looked at him.

"I… uh… I… this is where it happened," She stuttered.

"I know, baby. Come on let's go to your room." Lucas pulled her, but she was still frozen, staring at the bottom of the stairs. Lucas sighed, sweeping bridal style into her arms before continuing up the stairs.

"You didn't have to do that, Lucas," She explained once they were at the top and he had set her down.

"Brooke, I will carry you up the stairs until you can walk without stopping and I will hold you while you sleep until you no longer have nightmares. I will do whatever I can until your life gets as normal as it can be for you," He said, holding her close to him and she was overwhelmed by all the emotions of the day.

"Why?" She asked and he laughed.

"Cause I love you, you silly girl." He grinned. She smiled back at him and stood on her tippy toes to give him a long over due kiss. Her arms snaked around his middle as he cupped her face with both of his hands.

"I love you too," She whispered after pulling away.

* * *

><p>Brooke whimpered in her sleep and reached up to grab her head in pain. She thrashed around as though she was trying to get away from someone and soon Lucas was straddling her to get her to stop moving. Lucas hesitated in what to do next, but as she continued to cry, he just soothed her awake with his words.<p>

"Baby, wake up. It's just a dream. Please wake up, pretty girl. You're safe," He said urgently and soon the movements stopped and she opened her eyes to see Lucas on top of her.

"I'm sorry. I just… I have been having nightmares for years, I just have never had someone here to wake me up from them," She whispered through the darkness and Lucas rolled off her and pulled her close to him.

"Pretty girl, I'm not going anywhere. You just need to accept I am going to make sure you are happy,"

"Lucas, you can't promise that." She sighed resting her chin on his chest to look at him.

"I just did. She is gone Brooke. She is not coming back and there is nothing stopping you from being the girl you used to be."

"That girl is gone, Lucas."

"No she isn't. She has just been beaten to think she isn't allowed to show herself, but I promise you that no one will hurt you. No one is going to tell you not to smile or laugh or be happy. Your dad would want you to be happy," He said sternly and she leaned up to kiss him.

"You make me happy," She said with a small smile playing on her lips. He rolled them over and looked down at her as she grinned up at him.

He would have smiled back if it wasn't for the tears that still were wet on her cheeks. "And it isn't going to be instant. It is going to take time, but I will be here every step of the way. Don't fake being happy to appease your friends or me or Jake because we don't want that. We want the Brooke that laughs at the smallest things and smiles at strangers and loves everyone. We want that Brooke, but we know it is going to take time for that to happen. We are your family Brooke and you will never be alone and you will never not have me beside you,"

Brooke grabbed the back of Lucas' neck and pulled him down to her, "I am so glad I have you."

* * *

><p>"I can't stay locked up here forever!" Brooke yelled at Jake who was packing his lunch a week after she was let out of the hospital.<p>

She wanted to go back to school the day she got out, but Jake had become too protective all of sudden and told her to stay in bed. Now, a week later she walking fine and wasn't having panic attacks and she thought she was fine to go back.

"I just don't think you should be shoved into that type of atmosphere!" He snapped at her.

"It's high school, _Jacob_! I'm not going to die from anxiety," She growled and Jake stared at the ceiling in annoyance. He hated when she called him Jacob.

"Fine! You want to go so bad, go! But don't come looking for me when you get bombarded with questions and you can't handle it," He then left for school making sure to slam the door and Brooke let out a frustrated scream as she stomped up the stairs to get ready.

For the first time in three years, she wore a t-shirt. She looked at herself in the mirror and the only scars that resided were the burns that you could barely see and the gashes from being stepped on. No one would see and at this point Brooke didn't really care. She was going to wear what she wanted to wear and no one was going to stop her.

She actually put make up on, brushed her hair, and straightened it. She stared at the mirror and had a real smile grace her face at the thought of how well she was all ready doing.

"Take that, douche," She grumbled thinking of her overprotective big brother.

She grabbed her bag, grabbed her barely used keys, and walked out the door.

When she made it to school her friends all stood by Jake's car next to where she was supposed to park and she rolled her eyes. They were going to hover and suffocate her, she already knew it. She stepped out of the car and they all gave her worried looks.

"Are you sure about this?" Peyton asked, worried, and Brooke nodded.

"I'm fine guys," Brooke told them and they kept staring at her. "Look, I'm even wearing a t-shirt. Scandalous," She gave them a small grin and Rachel responded with a laugh.

"Leave her alone, guys. This is Brooke, she can do this," She looped her arm through Brooke's and pulled her towards the school, "I have complete faith in you."

"Thanks, Rach."

They made it into the school and Brooke was thrown by all the stares she received. Brooke made it to her locker and glanced around at everyone."Have people of heard of being discreet?" She muttered to her red-head friend who just glared at all the people who were making her friend uncomfortable.

"This is a small town, B. They are going to freak out when something like this happens," Quinn squeezed Brooke's arm in a comforting manner as she and Peyton walked up.

"I know, I just have to wait for Theresa to have another pregnancy scare," Brooke joked and Peyton playfully slapped her arm.

"Be nice,"

"Theresa is a bitch, let her say it." Alex walked up arm in arm with Haley who was playing with the twist tie on her finger.

"Come on, we got to get to class. I don't want people to stare anymore than they have to," Peyton pushed Brooke towards their first period and all the girls followed behind.

The boys let them do their own thing while they stayed back talking of basketball and their upcoming game. Brooke finally made it to class and took her usual seat and quietly waited for class to begin. Soon the boys had filed in and she knew the bell would ring soon and she knew then the questions would come.

Lucas took his seat beside her at the two person table and she leaned into him. "You look nice,"

"Well, I thought I should at least try to add up to my sexy boyfriend," Brooke smirked placing her chin on his shoulder.

Lucas chuckled at her, "So this boyfriend…"

"So hot, and just worships the ground I walk on," She smiled and he shook his head enjoying a playful Brooke.

"I might have to meet him,"

"I don't think you two would get along," She giggled and he went to reply when they heard a voice.

"I heard she did it to herself," They heard it on the other side of the room and Brooke sighed, closing her eyes.

"Someone needs to learn to whisper," She said to him.

"Don't listen to them, Brooke" Mouth said from behind her and she just smiled at him.

"Did you see the burn on her arm?" Someone else asked.

Brooke just continued to talk to Lucas. She joked with him and made plans to go to the café after school. She ignored all the stares she gained all day and acted like it didn't happen. She made it through the whole day without getting mad or having a problem and she wanted to find Jake to give him a big fat told you so.

Lucas, however; was having a difficult time. He clenched his jaw after every comment someone mumbled whenever Brooke passed. He had to tell himself not to punch every single peron that had a staring problem. Of course he was estatic to have his girl with him again, but he would take the empty seat next to him if that meant she wasn't subjected to these stupid people.

Soon by the end of the day, as he stood next to her by her car, he honestly thought he might explode. She leaned up and gave him a small kiss. "Thanks for taking care of me, boyfriend."

"You're welcome," He muttered and she frowned. She wrapped her arms around his middle and rested her chin on his chest.

"You okay?"

Lucas looked around at everyone around the parking lot. "I just wish they would leave you the fuck alone," he growled.

"I'm fine,"

Lucas held her face as he leaned down to catch her lips with his own. She smiled hoping his mind was off everyone else but soon the whispers began and his body was tensing.

They were only a few car spaces away and their voices were clear as day."I am surprised Luke stayed with her. I heard her skin is mangled that he doesn't even touch her"

"Give me a second," Lucas said with dangerous low tone.

"Lucas, stop they aren't worth it," She said trying to hold back. He just shrugged her off and stalked over to the group of football players.

He stood in front of them as they all laughed and he smirked at them. "What are you laughing at, Joe?"

"Oh man, Johnny was just talking about your girl,"

"Man, seriously stop. Leave her alone," Sam, a friend of Jake's said, who was clearly uncomfortable.

"Yeah, Luke. We were wondering when you were going to drop the damaged goods and move onto something that fits you a little better," Joe teased and Sam's jaw dropped.

"There is nothing wrong with her, Joe," Sam snapped and Lucas chuckled.

"Yeah, man, maybe soon," Lucas nodded shoving his hands in his pocket and looking over his shoulder at Brooke who stared at him angrily.

Sam looked at Lucas like he had lost it and Lucas cocked his head to the side to stare Joe, "But you know until then…"Lucas shrugged before rearing back and punching an unsuspecting Joe in the face who was still laughing up until contact, "I got to protect her honor. Don't talk about my fucking girlfriend,"

"Nice, Lucas." Sam patted Lucas on the back.

"You'll take care of this?" Lucas asked gesturing to Joe was now on the ground holding his jaw.

"Yeah, man. Tell Brooke I said I'm glad she is better,"

"Well aren't you a whipped little bitch. You used to be a legend, Lucas," Johnny snapped after him as he walked away.

"Yeah, yeah. How dare she make me a decent guy," He said over his shoulder as he made it back to Brooke.

"Lucas! You didn't have to do that! You could get in trouble!"

"I'm fine. Come on, get in your car. I'll meet you at the café," He opened her door and once she was seated she turned to him.

"I'll see you there, sexy boyfriend," She grinned up at him and he laughed at her leaning in her car to kiss her.

"Alright, crazy girl"

Lucas made it to his truck happy with his day. A week later and she seemed to doing well. She was slowly becoming happier and cheerier and he couldn't wait for the day where she wasn't scared anymore and the stares and murmurs stopped happening.

**So… I hope this was read and liked. If you even care I would love to hear your thoughts, just don't yell at me because again we are blaming the computer and also thanking it for turning on.**

**I know I could have just rewritten the chapter, but I loved how I wrote it and I couldn't get back down on the keyboard like I did before, so I just hoped for the moment where I could get it off my computer.**

**So I hope ya'll liked it!**

**Breathe in, hold it, hold it**  
><strong>Go on, begin<strong>  
><strong>To let go, ´cause there´s no reason<strong>

**I´m turning myself**  
><strong>Into somebody else<strong>  
><strong>Calm down, calm down, calm down<strong>

**I´m holding a heart here in my hand**  
><strong>Hey, hey, hey<strong>  
><strong>My own work of art here where I stand<strong>  
><strong>Hey, hey, hey<strong>

**Give in, it´s so hard start**  
><strong>Live in my skin<strong>  
><strong>The bruises are useless<strong>  
><strong>Against it<strong>

**I´ll try all I can**  
><strong>To find a soft place to land<strong>  
><strong>Come down, come down, come down<strong>

**I´m holding a heart here in my hand**  
><strong>Hey, hey, hey<strong>  
><strong>My own work of art here where I stand<strong>  
><strong>Hey, hey, hey<strong>

**Stand up straight**  
><strong>Hey<strong>  
><strong>Stand up straight<strong>  
><strong>Hey<strong>  
><strong>Stand up straight<strong>  
><strong>Hey<strong>  
><strong>Stand up straight<strong>  
><strong>Hey<strong>

**Breathe it, hold it**

**I´m holding a heart here in my hand**  
><strong>Hey, hey, hey<strong>  
><strong>My own work of art here where I stand<strong>  
><strong>Hey, hey, hey<strong>

**Hey...**  
><strong>Hey...<strong>  
><strong>Hey...<strong>  
><strong>Hey<strong>


End file.
